19990921031359I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 421C · Eugene, OR · September 21, 1999

Date: September 21, 1999 · 17:41 local
Place: Eugene, OR
Airport: Mahlon Sweet Field
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N6VH
Reported as: Cessna 421C
Reported engine: Continental GTSIO520N
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,400 total

N6VHRegistration cancelled Apr 4, 2003 · Cessna 421CS/N 421C0156 · Built 1976 Airframe modelCessna 421C Engine modelContinental GTSI0-520-F-KReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Left engine failed 20 miles north of Eugene. Foreign object damage within the left engine gear assembly caused the idler gear support pin that sits between magneto drives to shear, causing the mount studs to break and the gear that it rides on to rotate and become unmeshed. It affected magneto timing and caused the engine to lose power and begin running rough. Pilot shut down the engine and returned to Eugene.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) LEFT ENGINE FAILED 20 MILES NORTH OF EUGENE. FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE WITHIN THE LEFT ENGINE GEAR ASSEMBLY CAUSED THE IDLER GEAR SUPPORT PIN THAT SITS BETWEEN MAGNETO DRIVES TO SHEAR, CAUSING THE MOUNT STUDS TO BREAK AND THE GEAR THAT IT RIDES ON TO ROTATE AND BECOME UNMESHED. IT AFFECTED MAGNETO TIMING AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO LOSE POWER AND BEGIN RUNNING ROUGH. PILOT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND RETURNED TO EUGENE.