Pilot Debrief

AERO COMMANDER 112 near Granbury, TX — 2022-07-18

Final reportCEN22LA322
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Date
2022-07-18
Location
Granbury, TX, USA
Airport
GDJ
Aircraft
AERO COMMANDER 112
Registration
N1181J
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The loss of engine power due to metal contamination within the cylinder following poor maintenance.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he performed a new engine run-up on the day of the accident. He stated that after he conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane, he taxied and performed multiple engine run-ups. He then shut down the engine and added fuel. The pilot started the engine and performed multiple engine run-ups both before and after taxiing to the runway with no engine anomalies noted. After takeoff, the engine sustained a loss of power while climbing through about 100 ft above ground level. The pilot performed a forced landing to a road, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed one of the airbox’s three aluminum spacers was missing. Pieces of the spacer were found in cylinder Nos. 1 and 2 with additional material within the No 1 spark plug lead. The cylinders exhibited pitting damage from the spacer. It is likely that the metallic pieces within the engine cylinder shorted the engine ignition, thus reducing and/or ceasing engine power production on those cylinders. An examination of the remaining engine and systems revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The accident occurred on the first flight following an annual inspection and engine installation following a propeller strike inspection. Investigators were not able to determine how the spacer was introduced to the cylinder.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
The mechanic should have reviewed the engine logbook before the inspection.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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