Cessna 182 N2861R

Summary

On 28 February 2016 at about 17:00 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N2861R was involved in an accident near Gainesville, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

28 February 2016 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gainesville, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Gainesville Rgnl (GNV)

Coordinates

29.6981, -82.2803

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N2861R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Lauderdale → Gainesville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA114

2 people had minor injuries.

The failure of the engine crankshaft near the Nos. 4 and 5 crankshaft journals due to oil starvation. The reason for the oil starvation could not be determined during postaccident examination.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot stated that, before takeoff, he conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane and added 1 quart of oil to make a total of 8 quarts of oil in the airplane; the engine runup was normal. He further stated that the approximate 2-hour flight was uneventful until after he was cleared to land, when the engine began to run "rough." He enriched the mixture and reduced power, but the engine began shaking, oil sprayed onto the windshield, and then the engine lost total power. He declared an emergency and conducted a forced landing on a road, during which the left wing impacted a tree. An examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft's Nos. 4 and 5 connecting rod journals exhibited discoloration and heat damage, consistent with oil starvation, and that the rods had separated from the crankcases at their respective journals. The main bearing support mating surfaces were intact and exhibited no signs of fretting, bearing movement, or bearing rotation. The oil galleys and passages in the crankshaft and engine case halves were clear and unrestricted. Although an unmeasured quantity of oil was noted in the engine's oil sump, due to the damage of the sump and crankcase, the quantity of oil in the engine before the accident could not be determined.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.