Cirrus SR20 N777YM

Summary

On 18 March 2006 at about 17:45 local time, a Cirrus SR20 registered N777YM, operated by Scott Roth, was involved in an accident near Orlando, Florida, 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

18 March 2006 at 17:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Orlando, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Executive Airport (ORL)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cirrus SR20

Registration

N777YM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Scott Roth

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pompano → Orlando

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA06LA067

Nobody was injured.

Catastrophic engine failure due to a low oil level brought about by excessive blow-by and cylinder detonation. Contributing factors in this accident were the inadequate instructions contained in Service Bulletin M89-9 and the ditch.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that he was on the downwind leg for runway 07 when he observed the engine oil pressure caution light illuminate. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost power. He declared an emergency and landed on runway 13, touching down two-thirds down the runway. The airplane overran the end of the runway and struck a ditch. Eight hours before the accident flight, the owner/operator attempted to determine why there was a low oil quantity and oil was being vented out of the crankcase breather. An airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic examined the engine and could find no oil leaks. He also performed a cylinder compression check as outlined in Teledyne Continental Motors' (TCM) Service Bulletins M89-9, "Excessive Crankcase Pressures." No discrepancies were noted. The engine, a Teledyne Continental IO-360-ES (serial number 1393), was disassembled and examined. According to TCM's report, "The connecting rod assemblies exhibited thermal discoloration. The connecting rod bearings exhibited lubrication distress and thermal smearing of the surface babbit, exposing the copper layer. The number four piston head exhibited preignition/detonation damage. The thermal damage had penetrated through the interior of the piston. Portions of the piston rings were missing from thermal damage. The piston pin was intact. The pin plug was damaged from extreme thermal exposure." The magnetos were functionally checked and tested satisfactorily. The 12 spark plugs were also tested. Core nose cracks on five of the 12 spark plugs were attributed to detonation "but did not cause any side effects detrimental to normal engine operation." TCM's Service Bulletin M89-9, entitled "Excessive Crankcase Pressures," requires only a "differential pressure test of the cylinders" to check for cylinder preignition/detonation and excessive blow-by, and does not contain the verbiage contained in TCM's SB03-3, "Differential Pressure Test and Borescope Inspection Procedures for Cylinders."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.