Pilot Debrief

CESSNA T182 near Brandon, FL — 2013-01-11

Final reportERA13LA112
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Date
2013-01-11
Location
Brandon, FL, USA
Airport
TPF
Aircraft
CESSNA T182
Registration
N9454H
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

Failure of the No. 2 cylinder’s rod bearing, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The airplane was climbing through about 3,000 feet mean sea level when it began to vibrate, and oil covered the windscreen. The pilot chose to perform and off-airport landing to an empty field. During landing, the airplane impacted the ground in a flat-pitch attitude, which resulted in the left wing buckling. A subsequent examination of the engine revealed that the No. 2 cylinder's aluminum-clad rod bearing had failed. The bearing likely failed due to progressive cracking and spalling or delamination within the bearing. The No. 3 cylinder's bearing exhibited similar cracking and delamination. It is likely that the failure of the No. 2 cylinder's rod bearing resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the flight during preflight inspection.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents8

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