Cessna 140 N76268

Summary

On 26 March 2019 at about 22:30 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N76268 was involved in an accident near Newton, Kansas, 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

26 March 2019 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Newton, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Newton-City-County (EWK)

Coordinates

38.0678, -97.2753

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N76268

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Newton → Newton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA111

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power after the No. 1 connecting rod end separated as a result of oil starvation, which led to the forced landing and nose-over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that no engine issues were detected during the run up. He stated that, during the takeoff, the climbout engine power was "good." On the turn to downwind, the pilot noticed a slight loss of engine power. He checked the throttle position and continued the downwind leg. The pilot considered landing on the crosswind runway but felt he had engine power to make a short 180° approach to the departure runway. During the turn to final, the engine had an additional power drop, "clattered" about 3-4 seconds, and subsequently stopped. The pilot landed straight ahead in a field, where the airplane nosed over and sustained substantial damage. A disassembly of the engine revealed that the camshaft was fractured in the area abeam the No.1 cylinder. The No. 1 connecting rod end was separated from its crankshaft journal, and the rod end exhibited discoloration consistent with lubrication distress. The liberated sections of connecting rod bearing material were found in the oil sump an exhibited discoloration consistent with lubrication distress. The oil transfer tube orifice for the No. 1 connecting rod bearing was smeared over with migrated connecting rod journal material. The migrated and smeared metal was drilled through to see if any debris was present; only metallic particles were present that were attracted by a magnet. No other blockages were found within the oil system. Scoring consistent with hard particle passage was observed within the oil pump housing. The oil filter was cut open and had one spot of dark-colored debris; no other debris found within the filter pleats. The oil suction pickup tube was disassembled and did not contain any debris. The No. 1 connecting rod end separation is consistent with oil starvation at the rod end.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.