Cessna 337 N107BL

Summary

On 30 June 2018 at about 16:55 local time, a Cessna 337 registered N107BL was involved in an accident near Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 June 2018 at 16:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Baldwin City, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Vinland Valley Aerodrome (K64)

Coordinates

38.8361, -95.1819

Aircraft

Cessna 337

Registration

N107BL

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Baldwin City → Baldwin City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA246

Nobody was injured.

The loss of hydraulic accumulator pressure for reasons that could not be determined, which prevented the propeller from unfeathering, and the pilot's improper decision to attempt a go-around, which resulted in an off-airport landing and the airplane impacting trees and a fence. Contributing to the accident was the loss of tension at the flap switch pivot, which prevented it from holding position.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a local flight to practice single-engine maneuvers. After taking off and climbing the airplane to 3,500 ft, he shut down the rear engine and feathered the propeller. After performing some turns and climbs, the pilot attempted to unfeather the propeller and restart the engine but was unsuccessful. He returned to the airport to set up for a single-engine approach. During the approach, the pilot realized that the flaps were no longer in the full-flap setting and that a landing on the grass runway was going to be close, so he chose to perform a go-around. However, as the pilot began to go around, he realized that the airplane could not maintain altitude. He maneuvered the airplane for an off-airport landing to a nearby field, during which the airplane struck small trees and a fence and sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage.   The rear engine propeller had a remote hydraulic accumulator that assisted in unfeathering the propeller and was normally serviced to 120 pounds per square inch (psi). During an annual inspection that took place 4 flight hours before the accident flight, it was noted that the pressure was slightly low. During postaccident examination, the accumulator pressure was 85 psi. It is likely that a nitrogen leak occurred between the time the accumulator was last serviced and the time of the accident; however, the reason for the nitrogen leak could not be determined. Further, the flap switch was not holding position due to a loss of tension at the flap switch pivot, which is likely why the flaps were not in the full-flap setting as reported by the pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.