McCulloch Jerry RV-4 N418GM

Summary

On 17 June 2010 at about 23:00 local time, a McCulloch Jerry RV-4 registered N418GM, operated by Paul D Franzon, was involved in an accident near Pageland, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 June 2010 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Pageland, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.7369, -80.3928

Aircraft

McCulloch Jerry RV-4

Registration

N418GM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Paul D Franzon

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlanta → Fuquay Angier

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA316

1 person had minor injuries.

Maintenance personnel’s improper installation and inspection of the crankshaft idler gear, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during cruise flight the engine made a popping sound and subsequently experienced a loss of power. He performed an emergency landing on a road and during the landing roll the airplane struck a ditch. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft idler gear was missing a lock plate, which likely resulted in the idler gear vibrating loose from the engine case, leading to the loss of engine power. The lock plate was not found and no other anomalies were noted during the examination. An annual conditional inspection on the engine was conducted 10 days prior to the accident; the engine was overhauled about 320 flight hours prior to the accident. Based on the evidence and records, it is likely that the lock plate was not installed during the last overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.