Cessna 210L N2263S

Summary

On 9 June 2010 at about 00:39 local time, a Cessna 210L registered N2263S, operated by Flight Express Inc, was involved in an accident near Tampa, 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

9 June 2010 at 00:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Tampa, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Tampa International Airport (TPA)

Coordinates

27.9753, -82.5331

Aircraft

Cessna 210L

Registration

N2263S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Flight Express Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tampa → Fort Lauderdale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA10LA307

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to inadequate torgue on the crankcase bolts. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate inspection performed 19.5 hours prior to the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was climbing when the engine lost partial power. The pilot turned back toward the departure airport and the engine lost total power. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane struck a fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. Examination of the engine crankcase halves revealed fretting at the No. 2 main bearing saddle surfaces, which indicated insufficient clamping force during assembly due to inadequate torque on the bolts. The No. 2 main bearing was broken into pieces, which were observed in the oil sump. Examination of the crankshaft revealed a fatigue fracture that initiated in the fillet between the No. 2 main journal and the cheek at the aft end of the journal. The fatigue crack features observed in the No. 2 main bearing were secondary and were a result of high stresses on the bearing as it shifted. This most likely resulted from insufficient bearing crush due to insufficient clamping force on the crankcase saddle surfaces. According to the engine logbooks, a 100-hour maintenance inspection occurred 19.5 hours prior to the accident, which required a mechanic to verify that the crankcase bolts did not exhibit looseness.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.