NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On December 23, 2012, at 1330 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N2074T, was destroyed when it collided with trees and terrain following a total loss of engine power in cruise flight near Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. The private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight that was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector interviewed the pilot. The pilot said the airplane was in cruise flight at 7,500 feet when the engine began to "surge" and then shortly thereafter stopped producing power. An engine restart attempt was unsuccessful, and through communication with air traffic control and crosschecking his GPS receiver, the pilot determined he was beyond gliding distance of the nearest airport. He selected a forced landing area in a clearing, but the airplane entered trees prior to the clearing and came to rest upright in flat, heavily wooded terrain.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and sea. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on January 6, 2011. The pilot reported 548 total hours of flight experience, of which 350 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

According to FAA records, the airplane was manufactured in 1970. Its most recent annual inspection was completed July 16 2012, at 3,314 total aircraft hours. The airplane had accrued 27 total aircraft hours since that date.

The airplane was equipped with a Lycoming IO-360-C1C fuel-injected, horizontally opposed four-cylinder, direct-drive, air-cooled piston aircraft engine.

Examination of maintenance records revealed the engine's most recent overhaul was completed by Kline Aviation Inc, Brooklyn, Michigan on September 23, 1999, and installed in the airplane February 19, 2001. The connecting rods underwent magnaflux inspection and were reinstalled.

The engine had accrued 839 hours since the date of the overhaul. This was the second major overhaul of the engine. The previous major overhaul was completed by Air Craftsmen Inc., March 1, 1985.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1354, the weather conditions reported at Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport (IPT), 25 miles southeast of the accident site, included clear skies, visibility 10 miles, temperature 3 degrees C, dewpoint -8 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.87 inches of mercury. The wind was from 290 degrees at 7 knots.

WRECKAGE INFORMATION

The wreckage was examined at the accident site by an FAA aviation safety inspector on December 23, 2012, and all major components were accounted for at the scene. Both wings were separated during the accident sequence and scattered along the wreckage path. The elevator and vertical fin were impact damaged, but still attached. Rescue personnel removed the cabin roof.

A preliminary examination of the engine revealed that it could not be rotated by hand, and metal particles were contained in the oil filter and the finger strainer. The engine examination was suspended, and a detailed examination of the engine was scheduled for a later date.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

On February 14, 2013, the engine was examined at Lycoming Engines, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The oil sump was removed and contained debris associated with the No. 3 connecting rod, piston and attachment hardware. The connecting rod had fractured at the crankshaft and punctured the crankcase. The fractured end of the rod was exposed in the hole and examination revealed evidence of oil starvation at the No. 3 connecting rod journals, which resulted in its separation from the crankshaft.

The engine crankcase was opened, and the Nos. 1, 2, and 4 connecting rod bearings, and the No. 3 bearing remnants, were removed from the crankshaft and crankcase, and forwarded to the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, DC for examination. The intact bearing halves exhibited signs of abnormal wear, delamination, and areas of "pick out."

Metallurgical Exam

The connecting rod bearings (P/N 13212-M03) were manufactured by Superior Air Parts in Dallas, Texas. Examination of the part drawings from Superior for the connecting rod bearings revealed material and construction discrepancies between the drawings and the bearings harvested from the engine. The intact bearings all exhibited signatures consistent with fatigue and spalling of the babbitt material, which exposed the steel backing.

The part numbers for the bearings were the correct application for the connecting rods; however, examination of the connecting rods (LW-13422) revealed that they were not approved by Lycoming engines for installation in the IO-360-C1C.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Lycoming Service Instruction SI 1009 AU recommended overhaul at 2,000 engine hours, or at the 12th year of service whichever occurs first. According to the bulletin:

"Engine deterioration in the form of corrosion (rust) and the drying out and hardening of composition materials such as gaskets, seals, flexible hoses and fuel pump diaphragms can occur if an engine is out of service for an extended period of time. Due to the loss of a protective oil film after an extended period of inactivity, abnormal wear on soft metal bearing surfaces can occur during engine start. Therefore, all engines that do not accumulate the hourly period of time between overhauls specified in this publication are recommended to be overhauled in the twelfth year."

NTSB Probable Cause

The reinstallation of improper connecting rods at engine overhaul, which resulted in abnormal wear of the connecting rod bearings; while the bearings did not meet the manufacturer’s specifications, the use of the unapproved connecting rods more likely caused the bearing wear.