Kevin Metzler VELOCITY STD RG N133SV

Summary

On 2 January 2016 at about 22:30 local time, a Kevin Metzler VELOCITY STD RG registered N133SV was involved in an accident near Rosamond, California, 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

2 January 2016 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Rosamond, California, United States

Coordinates

34.8842, -118.2117

Aircraft

Kevin Metzler VELOCITY STD RG

Registration

N133SV

Category

Airplane

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rosamond → Rosamond

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR16LA047

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to failure of the No. 1 connecting rod as a result of multiple fatigue cracks for reasons that could not be determined during on postaccident examination.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after departure on the local flight, the private pilot observed that the engine temperature was higher than it had been on the previous day's flight. After reducing power, the engine began to surge, which prompted the pilot to return to the airport. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot elected to land in a vacant field. The left wing sustained substantial damage during the landing. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 1 connecting rod assembly had failed. Although the reason for the failure could not be determined, the fracture surfaces exhibited signatures of fatigue consistent with a malfunction of the connecting rod bearing, such as improper bearing size, rotation of the bearing during service, or operation of a severely worn bearing. Such conditions would result in higher-than-normal operating stress, and likely contributed to the propogation of the fatigue cracking.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.