Beechcraft P35 N9777Y

Summary

On 5 March 2023 at about 21:45 local time, a Beechcraft P35 registered N9777Y was involved in an accident near Perry, Florida, 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

5 March 2023 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Perry, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.9111, -83.6389

Aircraft

Beechcraft P35

Registration

N9777Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tampa → Apalachicola

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA173

Nobody was injured.

Maintenance personnel’s incorrect torquing of the oil filter adapter jam nut, resulting in the failure of the adapter threads, a complete loss of oil, 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

About an hour into the flight, while cruising at 8,500 ft, light smoke entered the cabin momentarily, and the engine oil pressure dropped to zero. The pilot turned toward a nearby airport and shortly thereafter the engine lost power. Unable to glide to the airport, he saw a cleared field and set up for a forced landing. The airplane touched down on sandy soil, the nose gear dug in and separated, and the airframe was substantially damaged. The pilot was not injured. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the oil filter adapter separated at the engine case which likely resulted in a depletion of the engine’s oil supply and the subsequent total loss of engine power due to lack of lubrication. Residual oil covered the area around the adapter-to-engine case opening and below. The adapter threads appeared stripped. The adapter was safety wired in position and there was red torque putty applied as well. A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that an annual inspection of the airframe and engine was completed about 29 hours before the accident. The logbook entries noted that an airworthiness directive that addressed security of the connection between the oil filter adapter and the engine case, including checking for proper torque, had been complied with during the inspection. The separation of the filter and stripping of the adapter threads were likely indicative of the oil filter adapter threads having failed due to improper torquing of the jam nut.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.