Piper PA-28R-200 N799SQ

Summary

On 19 September 2010 at about 16:30 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N799SQ, operated by Palmetto Aviation of Conway LLC, was involved in an accident near Barnwell, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were 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 September 2010 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Barnwell, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Barnwell Regional Airport (BNL)

Coordinates

33.2581, -81.3878

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-200

Registration

N799SQ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Palmetto Aviation of Conway LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Barnwell → Loris

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA486

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the No. 1 connecting rod end cap for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After fueling the airplane and checking the engine oil quantity, the pilot and his passenger departed for their destination. During the initial climb, about 1,000 feet above mean sea level, the airplane began to make a loud banging noise and started to shake violently. The pilot looked at the oil pressure gauge and noticed that there was no oil pressure. The pilot then attempted to turn back to the airport but realized that he would be unable to reach it. He observed that there was a small field to his left so he chose to land the airplane in the field. There were a few small trees in the center of the field and he tried to clear them but was unable to do so. The airplane struck the trees and the wings separated from the fuselage. The airplane then impacted the ground, the landing gear separated from the airplane, and the airplane slid to a stop on its belly. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that it contained oil and that the oil pump was functional. Further examination revealed that the end cap from the No. 1 connecting rod had broken. At the time of the accident the engine operating time had exceeded the manufacturer's recommended time between overhauls (TBO) by 79.1 hours, but it could not be determined why the end cap failed or if the exceedence of the recommended TBO contributed to the failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.