Cessna 182 N182EF

Summary

On 13 December 2019 at about 03:00 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N182EF was involved in an accident near Carlsbad, California, United States. 2 people were 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

13 December 2019 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Carlsbad, California, United States

Nearest airport

McCellan (KCRQ)

Coordinates

33.1464, -117.3336

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N182EF

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

El Monte → Carlsbad

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR20LA042

Nobody was injured.

The fatigue failure of the crankshaft. Contributing to the accident was the undocumented installation of the supercharger, which resulted in increased stress on the crankshaft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during the flight, the airplane’s engine started to run rough. Despite troubleshooting, the engine roughness increased followed by “flash explosions” from the engine and the smell of oil in the cabin. The engine lost total power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to an interstate highway. The airplane landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the Nos. 5 and 6 connecting rods separated from the crankshaft. The crankshaft separated into three sections. One of the separations was at the crankshaft cheek forward and adjacent to the No. 3 bearing journal, and the separation surfaces displayed beach marks consistent with fatigue cracking. Metallurgical examination revealed that the fracture appeared to initiate below the outer nitride layer near an oxide inclusion within the metal. The engine was overhauled and converted from the original Continental O-470-U engine to a PPA O-470-50 engine per a supplemental type certificate (STC). Additionally, a supercharger was installed on the engine, which was not part of the engine conversion STC. No logbook entries were found regarding the installation of the supercharger. It is likely that the installation of the supercharger contributed additional stress to the crankshaft during operation, which resulted in the separation of the crankshaft and subsequent catastrophic engine failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.