NTSB Factual Report

On October 12, 2016, about 1011 mountain standard time, the pilot of a Rockwell International 112A, N509CA, reported to air traffic control that the airplane had an engine problem, and was unable to maintain altitude. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain in a train yard about 3 miles west of the Deer Valley Airport (DVT), Phoenix, Arizona. Sho Co Kids LLC operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, as a personal flight. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Falcon Field Airport (FFZ), Mesa, Arizona, at an unknown time, with an intended destination of Lake Havasu City Airport (HII), Lake Havasu City, Arizona. No flight plan was filed.

According to tower personnel from DVT, the pilot requested to return to FFZ due to high engine oil temperature, and the airplane was losing altitude.

An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and a representative from Lycoming Engines, responded to the accident site. A visual examination of the engine revealed a hole in the crankcase at the number 4 cylinder.

The airplane was recovered for further examination.