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20050329006009I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna T210N · Mesa, AZ · March 29, 2005

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 29, 2005 · 16:10 local
Place
Mesa, AZ
Airport
Falcon Field Airport
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N210WX
Reported as
Cessna T210N
Reported engine
Continental TSIO520R
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
14,100 total3,100 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N210WXRegistration cancelled Mar 19, 2013 · Cessna T210NS/N 21063045Airframe modelCessna T210NEngine modelTCM Cont TSIO-520 seriesReciprocating

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) Pilot took off runway 22L and turned left downwind. At approximately 300 feet AGL the engine made popping noise and immediately lost power. The pilot had his hand on the gear lever to retract the gear just prior to the loss of power. He never initiated the gear retraction. He declared an emergency and was cleared to any runway, but the aircraft was too low to be able to make it back to the runway. The pilot spotted an open field approx 1/4 mile to the south of the runway and was able to land the aircraft without damage in the open field. Upon removing the engine cowl it was discovered that the crankshaft counterweights mounted between #1 & #2 cyl had departed the crankshaft and punched holes thru the upper crankcase as they departed the engine. Both left and right magnetos were broken from their mounting flanges as a result of the engine failure, and the left mag drive gear was found in the upper engine cowl area. Upon visual inspection using the holes punched in the upper engine case it was observed that one of the crankshaft counterweight flanges was missing a portion of the flange. This engine had 1.8 hrs since overhaul.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT TOOK OFF RUNWAY 22L AND TURNED LEFT DOWNWIND. AT APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET AGL THE ENGINE MADE POPPING NOISE AND IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER. THE PILOT HAD HIS HAND ON THE GEAR LEVER TO RETRACT THE GEAR JUST PRIOR TO THE LOSS OF POWER. HE NEVER INITIATED THE GEAR RETRACTION. HE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND WAS CLEARED TO ANY RUNWAY, BUT THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOO LOW TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT SPOTTED AN OPEN FIELD APPROX 1/4 MILE TO THE SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY AND WAS ABLE TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT DAMAGE IN THE OPEN FIELD. UPON REMOVING THE ENGINE COWL IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT COUNTERWEIGHTS MOUNTED BETWEEN #1 & #2 CYL HAD DEPARTED THE CRANKSHAFT AND PUNCHED HOLES THRU THE UPPER CRANKCASE AS THEY DEPARTED THE ENGINE. BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT MAGNETOS WERE BROKEN FROM THEIR MOUNTING FLANGES AS A RESULT OF THE ENGINE FAILURE, AND THE LEFT MAG DRIVE GEAR WAS FOUND IN THE UPPER ENGINE COWL AREA. UPON VISUAL INSPECTION USING THE HOLES PUNCHED IN THE UPPER ENGINE CASE IT WAS OBSERVED THAT ONE OF THE CRANKSHAFT COUNTERWEIGHT FLANGES WAS MISSING A PORTION OF THE FLANGE. THIS ENGINE HAD 1.8 HRS SINCE OVERHAUL.