Piper PA-32-301 N651ED

Summary

On 11 April 2024 at about 13:25 local time, a Piper PA-32-301 registered N651ED was involved in an accident near Sullivan, Missouri, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 April 2024 at 13:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Sullivan, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

38.1764, -91.0966

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-301

Registration

N651ED

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rochester → Paragould

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA155

1 person had minor injuries.

A bearing failure that resulted in fatigue failure of the crankshaft and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight when the engine rpm slightly decreased. He attempted to troubleshoot but the engine surged before it lost all power. The pilot then prepared for a forced landing to a field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted trees at the edge of a down-sloping, wet field. The airplane came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage to the stabilator, fuselage, and both wings. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the engine crankshaft had fractured in two locations due to fatigue. The fatigue crack initiation sites were located near rotational wear bands. The inner diameter surfaces and edge faces of two sets of the main bearing journals exhibited severe gouging, cracking, and material spalling, consistent with rotational abrasive wear. Based on the damage, the degraded bearings likely prevented sufficient lubrication, leading to excessive heating and scoring that helped initiate fatigue cracking of the crankshaft. The engine was most recently overhauled about 28 years and 2,439 flight hours before the accident. The manufacturer’s recommended time between overhaul (TBO) interval was 2,000 flight hours or 12 years, whichever occurred first. Although not required for Part 91 operations, following the manufacturer’s recommended overhaul procedures likely would have prevented the bearing failure and subsequent loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.