Beechcraft V35 N228Q

Summary

On 17 July 2018 at about 13:30 local time, a Beechcraft V35 registered N228Q was involved in an accident near Katy, Texas, 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

17 July 2018 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Katy, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

West Houston (IWS)

Coordinates

29.8681, -95.7950

Aircraft

Beechcraft V35

Registration

N228Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Monaville → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA276

Nobody was injured.

Maintenance personnel’s failure to remove a paper towel from the engine during recent maintenance, which resulted in oil starvation, the failure of a connecting rod, and a catastrophic engine failure and subsequent 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 private pilot reported that, as he approached the destination airport, he noted "a sudden and severe noise and vibration" and "a…stream of gray smoke from under the right side of the [engine] cowling," followed by a loss of engine power. The pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. Postaccident engine examination revealed two holes in the top of the crankcase near the Nos. 3 and 4 cylinders. A teardown examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 connecting rod had failed due to oil starvation, which resulted in a catastrophic engine failure. Foreign debris, which was similar to a paper towel, was recovered from the engine oil sump and the oil pickup screen. Most of the screen area was obstructed by the debris, which had interrupted the oil flow from the sump to the engine. The airplane maintenance records noted that the alternator and alternator drive gear were replaced about 8 weeks before the accident. The engine had been operated about 24 hours since the alternator replacement. The starter and starter adapter were replaced the day before the accident flight. The engine had been operated about 15 minutes since the most recent maintenance work was performed. It is likely that maintenance personnel left the paper towel in the engine during the recent maintenance work, which resulted in oil starvation, the failure of the connecting rod, and the catastrophic engine failure and subsequent total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.