Eagle DW1 N8805X

Summary

On 18 July 2018 at about 19:00 local time, a Eagle DW1 registered N8805X was involved in an accident near Ider, Alabama, 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

18 July 2018 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ider, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

34.7142, -85.6808

Aircraft

Eagle DW1

Registration

N8805X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ider → Ider

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA195

Nobody was injured.

Fatigue failure of the No. 2 cylinder studs/through bolts and the fracture of the crankcase, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting an aerial application flight. He stated that while maneuvering at 1,500 ft, he heard a "deep knock" in the engine; the entire windshield became covered with oil, and the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing to a service road, during which the airplane struck a barbed-wire fence with the right wings before coming to rest in a field. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed the No. 2 cylinder had separated from the cylinder mounting deck. Two fractured sections of the left crankcase that included part of the No. 2 cylinder bore were found in the engine cowling. All but one of the No. 2 cylinder base studs and through bolts remained in the cylinder bore and were fractured. The fractured surfaces exhibited signatures consistent with fatigue. The fatigue failure of the No. 2 cylinder studs and through bolts and the fracture of the crankcase led to the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.