What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On may 8, 1999, about 1010 eastern daylight time; a pitts S-2B, N260Z, registered to a private individual, impacted with the terrain near Knoxville, TN. Visual meteorological condtions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged. The commercial-rated pilot and one passenger reported no injuries. The flight had originated at an unknown time from the mcghee Tyson airport, Knoxville. The flight had departed to the east, and radar service was terminated about 15 nautical miles out. About 10 minutes later, the pilot radioed that he needed to make a landing as soon as possible, because of low oil pressure, followed by a complete loss of engine power. The pilot elected to land in a field. The engine will be examined at a later date, after it is removed from the crash site. (-23) local pleasure flight from mcghee Tyson airport, Knoxville, TN (tys). While performing aerobatic maneuvers, pilot noted an abnormal engine RPM surge, noted the oil pressure low and oil temperature rising. A short time later the cockpit filled with smoke, engine began to vibrate and seized. (.4) after performing several aerobatic maneuvers at about 6,000 feet MSL and 110 mph, the pilot noted that the engine RPM surged for about two seconds and then recovered to the previously set 2,500 RPM. He elected to return to the departure airport, which was about 17 miles from his location. About 1 minute later, at an altitude of 5,500 feet he said he '...noted the oil temperature started to climb.' At this point he was about 14 mile from the airport. He said, '...the engine vibrated severely with a loud metallic sound, oil poured onto the windscreen, and the cockpit filled with smoke...and the engine simultaneously seized, stopping the prop before I could feather it...I...determined that we could probably not clear the ridge line...the only practical place within gliding range to perform a forced landing was a small pasture about 1 mile behind us in the bottom of a valley alongside a small road...slowing to...90 mph...touched down about 150 feet past the fence...I had difficulty keeping the tailwheel from bouncing as we plowed through the high grass and had to make continuos rudder inputs to keep tracking straight. After approximately 300 feet of roll out, the aircraft yawed right, the left main colla psed under the aircraft, and we slid sideways onto the bottom left wing, which snapped off, taking the left upper wing with it...rotated about 180 degrees counterclockwise, and stopped in an upright position....' The engine teardown revealed that the no. 6 connecting rod had failed due to oil starvation. According to the FAA inspector, the cause of the oil starvation was 'undetermined.'
As the FAA filed it
ON MAY 8, 1999, ABOUT 1010 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME; A PITTS S-2B, N260Z, REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, IMPACTED WITH THE TERRAIN NEAR KNOXVILLE, TN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDTIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED AT AN UNKNOWN TIME FROM THE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, KNOXVILLE. THE FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED TO THE EAST, AND RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED ABOUT 15 NAUTICAL MILES OUT. ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT RADIOED THAT HE NEEDED TO MAKE A LANDING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE OF LOW OIL PRESSURE, FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND IN A FIELD. THE ENGINE WILL BE EXAMINED AT A LATER DATE, AFTER IT IS REMOVED FROM THE CRASH SITE. (-23) LOCAL PLEASURE FLIGHT FROM MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, KNOXVILLE, TN (TYS). WHILE PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS, PILOT NOTED AN ABNORMAL ENGINE RPM SURGE, NOTED THE OIL PRESSURE LOW AND OIL TEMPERATURE RISING. A SHORT TIME LATER THE COCKPIT FILLED WITH SMOKE, ENGINE BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND SEIZED. (.4) AFTER PERFORMING SEVERAL AEROBATIC MANEUVERS AT ABOUT 6,000 FEET MSL AND 110 MPH, THE PILOT NOTED THAT THE ENGINE RPM SURGED FOR ABOUT TWO SECONDS AND THEN RECOVERED TO THE PREVIOUSLY SET 2,500 RPM. HE ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT, WHICH WAS ABOUT 17 MILES FROM HIS LOCATION. ABOUT 1 MINUTE LATER, AT AN ALTITUDE OF 5,500 FEET HE SAID HE '...NOTED THE OIL TEMPERATURE STARTED TO CLIMB.' AT THIS POINT HE WAS ABOUT 14 MILE FROM THE AIRPORT. HE SAID, '...THE ENGINE VIBRATED SEVERELY WITH A LOUD METALLIC SOUND, OIL POURED ONTO THE WINDSCREEN, AND THE COCKPIT FILLED WITH SMOKE...AND THE ENGINE SIMULTANEOUSLY SEIZED, STOPPING THE PROP BEFORE I COULD FEATHER IT...I...DETERMINED THAT WE COULD PROBABLY NOT CLEAR THE RIDGE LINE...THE ONLY PRACTICAL PLACE WITHIN GLIDING RANGE TO PERFORM A FORCED LANDING WAS A SMALL PASTURE ABOUT 1 MILE BEHIND US IN THE BOTTOM OF A VALLEY ALONGSIDE A SMALL ROAD...SLOWING TO...90 MPH...TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 150 FEET PAST THE FENCE...I HAD DIFFICULTY KEEPING THE TAILWHEEL FROM BOUNCING AS WE PLOWED THROUGH THE HIGH GRASS AND HAD TO MAKE CONTINUOS RUDDER INPUTS TO KEEP TRACKING STRAIGHT. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET OF ROLL OUT, THE AIRCRAFT YAWED RIGHT, THE LEFT MAIN COLLA PSED UNDER THE AIRCRAFT, AND WE SLID SIDEWAYS ONTO THE BOTTOM LEFT WING, WHICH SNAPPED OFF, TAKING THE LEFT UPPER WING WITH IT...ROTATED ABOUT 180 DEGREES COUNTERCLOCKWISE, AND STOPPED IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION....' THE ENGINE TEARDOWN REVEALED THAT THE NO. 6 CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED DUE TO OIL STARVATION. ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSPECTOR, THE CAUSE OF THE OIL STARVATION WAS 'UNDETERMINED.'
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.