Sport Flight TALON XP N1856P

Summary

On 18 July 2008 at about 14:16 local time, a Sport Flight TALON XP registered N1856P, operated by James J. Wolfe, was involved in an accident near Inverness, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 July 2008 at 14:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Inverness, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Inverness (X40)

Coordinates

28.8064, -82.3178

Aircraft

Sport Flight TALON XP

Registration

N1856P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

James J. Wolfe

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Inverness → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA08LA162

1 person was seriously injured.

The lower rod bearing failed due to corrosion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot were departing on a local instructional flight. During the initial climb, the engine lost power and the airplane impacted trees short of the runway. Post accident examination showed that the lower rod bearing had failed due to corrosion. The failed bearing then impacted the crankcase causing a crack, and subsequent loss of compression. The manufacturer's records indicate that the engine was manufactured in 1994 and sold to the original owner in 1995. The pilot had purchased the engine less than a year prior to the accident and it was sold as "rebuilt," with the work purported to have been accomplished in 2007. However, there was no supporting documentation available. The engine manufacturers representative indicated that the engine was not maintained/serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines, which in part call for the replacement of the crankshaft every 5 years. There was no evidence that the crankshaft had been replaced since the date of engine manufacture.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.