# Incident 19960602044989I: Beech 95B55, Chester, SC, June 2, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 2, 1996, 10:30 local time
- Place: Chester, SC
- Airport: Chester Municipal Airport
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.7023° N, 81.2078° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Chester, SC, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7023&lon=-81.2078&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1855W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1855W-2023-12-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech 95-B55 (T42A) (registry code 1152706, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-95-b55-t42a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental I0-470 series (registry code 17027, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-i0-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH 95B55
- Reported engine: CONT IO520L
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,500 total, 150 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960602044989I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AT 9:45, I CHECKED OIL LEVELS IN BOTH ENGINES, FUEL LEVELS IN ALL 4 TANKS, DRAINED FUEL LINES, ETC; FINDING NO PROBLEMS, RUN-UP AND DEPARTURE, AND CLIMB TO ALTITUDE-8000'-WERE NORMAL. FORTY MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL AS NOTED IN FLIGHT LOG BOOK (BLUE BOOK). AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, I NOTICED A VERY SLIGHT VIBRATION IN THE LEFT ENGINE. QUICK SCAN OF RPMS, FUEL PRESSURE AND OIL PRESSURE REVEALED SLIGHT VARIATIONS IN RPM AND MANIFOLD PRESSURE, WITH ENGINE STILL RUNNING ROUGH. SLIGHT FUEL MIXTURE ADJUSTMENTS DID NOTHING TO ALLEVIATE THE ROUGHNESS. WITHIN SECONDS THE "ROUGHNESS" BECAME SEVERE AND I IMMEDIATELY SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN. PROP AUTOMATICALLY FEATHERED ITSELF. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WERE INITIATED: FEATHERED, POWER OFF, MIXTURE OFF, ELECTRICAL (MAGS AND ALTERNATOR) OFF, FUEL SHUT OFF. LANDED AT CHESTER COUNTY AIRPORT, SC OIL LEVEL IN SHUT-DOWN ENGINE 8 QUARTS. DID NOT CHECK RT. ENGINE. NOTIFIED SIGNATURE (MIKE TERRY) OF THE PROBLEM AT ABOUT 11:30 AM (ON GROUND). WENDELL HALL CALLED TO SAY THAT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE TOP OF THE ENGINE-PROBABLY A ROD WENT THROUGH IT-AND THE CRANKSHAFT WAS BROKEN. STILL 8-9 QTS OF OIL IN THE ENGINE. CHECK ENGINE LOG BOOK AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS LESS THAN 300 HRS ON THE ENGINE. HE WAS GOING TO CALL T.W. SMITH. BILL SCHMIDT, OF T.W. SMITH: ONE HAD A VAR CRANK (RT ENGINE)AND LEFT ONE DIDN'T-THE COST WOULD HAVE BEEN $2200 TO INSTALL AND PREVIOUS OWNER ELECTED NOT TO INSTALL-GOOD NEWS, RT. ENGINE IS A-O.K. WITH THE VAR CRANK. PHONE CONVERSATION WITH WENDELL: WENDELL SAID THAT JUST BY CHANCE WHEN HE WAS RE-INSTALLING THE PROP, HE FOUND THAT THE "DOWELS" WERE NOT FITTING - OR FITTED PROPERLY. UPON CALLING A PROPELLER SHOP IN GREENSBORO, NC-THEY INFORMED HIM TO SEND THE PROP OR A BROKEN CRANKSHAFT-BOTH OF WHICH THIS ENGINE HAS SUSTAINED SINCE IT WAS CONVERTED TO A COLEMILL-PRESIDENTIAL. THE MISFITTING DOWELS COULD CAUSE A BROKEN PROP.| I ASKED WENDELL TO ALSO CHECK THE RIGHT ENGINE AND IN A SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATION LATER THAT DAY, HE STATED THAT THE "DOWELS" FITTED PROPERLY ON THE RIGHT ENGINE PROP. WENDELL ALSO STATED THAT HE CALLED COLEMILL ABOUT THE "DOWELS".

## Other reports on N1855W (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19921004044619I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19921004044619I), Oct 4, 1992: Beech 95B55 (N1855W), Muncie, IN. Engine vibration in flight. Forced landing. Found 10 inch section of blade on left propeller had broken off.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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