Cessna 170 N5478C

Summary

On 27 February 2020 at about 23:00 local time, a Cessna 170 registered N5478C was involved in an accident near Baker City, Oregon, 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

27 February 2020 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Baker City, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Baker City Muni (BKE)

Coordinates

44.7306, -117.8389

Aircraft

Cessna 170

Registration

N5478C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1950

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Baker City → Baker City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA097

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the No. 2 connecting rod bearing as a result of oil starvation due to a contaminated oil filter screen.  

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during a local flight, the engine started to knock and vibrate, and the oil pressure indication was low. He initiated a precautionary landing to an open field, and during the landing rollout, the airplane impacted a small ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 2 connecting rod was separated from the crankshaft. The No. 2 connecting rod journal exhibited thermal distress and mechanical damage. The remaining connecting rod journals and the crankshaft main bearings also exhibited thermal discoloration consistent with oil starvation. When the engine was rotated, no oil flow was observed through the crank journals and lifters. The oil filter screen was covered in dark thick oil and metallic debris and was collapsed. It is likely that the contaminated oil filter screen collapsed under pressure from the oil pump, which prevented the normal flow of oil through the engine; this resulted in the oil starvation of the No. 2 connecting rod bearing and subsequent separation of the connecting rod from the crankshaft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.