Bellanca 8GCBC N86714

Summary

On 17 August 2002 at about 17:30 local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC registered N86714 was involved in an accident near Guilford, Connecticut, 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

17 August 2002 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Guilford, Connecticut, United States

Coordinates

41.2833, -72.7000

Aircraft

Bellanca 8GCBC

Registration

N86714

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

East Windsor → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC02LA169

Nobody was injured.

Fatigue cracking of the number 3 cylinder head. A factor was the presence of protruding material on the cylinder barrel.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

At 1,300 feet, while towing a banner, the airplane's engine experienced severe vibrations and a loss of power. The pilot located a field where he could safely drop the banner, and descended to 500 feet to make the drop. After the drop, the airplane would not climb, and the vibrations increased, so the pilot decided to land in the field while he still had control of the airplane. During the approach, the pilot had to clear trees, and "came in a little high and fast." After touching down on a grassy field, he "tapped the toe brakes," and the airplane nosed over. A post-flight examination of the engine revealed that the number 3 cylinder was cracked and its exhaust valve seized. Further examination revealed a continuous fracture around the head, in the vicinity of the fourth and fifth cooling fins, with a surface consistent with fatigue cracking. The cylinder barrel had been remanufactured, then joined to a new cylinder head. Threads 1, 2 and 3 of the cylinder barrel displayed protruding material that matched corresponding thread indentations in the cylinder head. There was no evidence of material defect or dimensional anomaly from manufacturing processes. There was also no evidence as to the specific nature or extent of possible crack initiation forces. According to logbook information, the cylinder was installed in 1999, and had approximately 635 hours of service. Two accident investigations involving similar issues are CHI01FA329 and NYC02FA178.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.