Quad City CHALLENGER UNREG

Summary

On 23 June 2023 at about 15:00 local time, a Quad City CHALLENGER registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Cedar Creek, Missouri, 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

23 June 2023 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cedar Creek, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

36.5700, -92.9900

Aircraft

Quad City CHALLENGER

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Year built

1995

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA261

Nobody was injured.

A seizure of the power takeoff piston due to inadequate maintenance to the lubrication system, which resulted in a lack of oil lubrication and subsequent engine failure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the day before the accident, the pilot reported that he drained the fuel and replaced it with new fuel, replaced the fuel filter, and checked all fluid levels and lines; the airplane had not flown since October 2021. The pilot reported that on the day of the accident, he flew the airplane for about 20 minutes and then returned to pick up a passenger. On the second flight, the airplane’s engine lost power after flying about 10 minutes. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted trees and terrain which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine were performed at the pilot’s residence. The examination of the engine revealed oil around the power take-off (PTO) piston and cylinder head. The PTO piston displayed signatures consistent with seizure. A piece of old, brittle oil injection line was discovered near the oil injection pump and the fuel, primer, and vent lines were also found in an aged and hardened state. Given the evidence, the PTO piston likely failed due to a lack of oil as a result of the poorly maintained lubrication system, which resulted in a loss of engine power. There were no maintenance records for the airplane and according to the pilot, the hoses had not been replaced since 2009. The engine manufacturer’s maintenance manual states that all lubrication system hoses must be replaced every 5 years.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.