Stinson 108-1 N9063K

Summary

On 19 April 1997 at about 17:20 local time, a Stinson 108-1 registered N9063K was involved in an accident near Smithfield, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 April 1997 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Smithfield, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.4994, -78.3400

Aircraft

Stinson 108-1

Registration

N9063K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA97LA144

Nobody was injured.

a fracture in the crankshaft, which resulted in a total loss of engine power, a forced landing, and a nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight, the pilot noticed that the engine 'became a little rough,' oil pressure was bleeding off, and the tachometer was fluctuating, followed by a complete loss of engine power. The pilot elected to land in a field, touched down, rolled about 240 feet, before 'soft dirt' caused the airplane to nose over. Examination of the engine revealed it would not rotate, but oil and fuel were present. The engine was disassembled, and examination revealed that the crankshaft had cracked completely through at the number one connecting rod journal. The fracture appeared to be clean with no exterior evidence of an existing crack or deterioration of any kind. The fracture did have within it, ridges and valleys and what appeared to be air bubbles near the ridges and valleys.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.