Lacour LONG-EZE SR7-1 N97EZ
1 March 2010 · Falfurrias, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 1 March 2010 at about 00:45 local time, a Lacour LONG-EZE SR7-1 registered N97EZ, operated by Charles B. McDougal, was involved in an accident near Falfurrias, Texas, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 00:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Falfurrias, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Brooks County (BKS)
- Coordinates
- 27.2200, -98.1396
- Aircraft
- Lacour LONG-EZE SR7-1
- Registration
- N97EZ
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Charles B. McDougal
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Antonio → McAllen
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- CEN10LA131
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power due to a failure of the crankshaft behind the No. 3 connecting rod journal for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that he was in level cruise flight at 3,500 feet mean sea level when the engine suddenly vibrated then seized. The pilot made a "firm" forced landing on rolling brush and rock-strewn terrain. During the landing roll, the landing gear was sheared off and the canard wing was crushed. Engine disassembly revealed case fretting and main bearing movement. A representative of the engine manufacturer indicated that the failure mode was extremely rare, if not unique. The pilot had installed a Hertzler “Silver Bullet” composite propeller to the extended hub. According to the representative, it was possible that a harmonic vibration could have emanated from the propeller through the extended hub to the crankshaft. However, this propeller had not been tested to determine if there were amplified propeller harmonics to the crankshaft and the investigation was unable to determine that such vibration led to the engine failure.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Mar 2010 | Robinson R22 BETA II | Cotulla, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 30 Apr 2010 | Piper PA-28-140 | Houston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2010 | Piper PA-11 | Leander, Texas, United States | Campbell David | No injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 2010 | Beechcraft A36 | Slaton, Texas, United States | Gale Donald H | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 2010 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Brookshire, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Dec 2010 | Cirrus SR22 | Nacogdoches, Texas, United States | Martin Companies | Minor injuries | - |