What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) N89WW departed alton regional airport, alton, IL (kaln) at 1410 CST. N89WW issued distress call to alton, IL (kaln) ATCT at 1428 CST indicating engine trouble approximately 6 miles from the airport. At 1430 CST N65KC, a pipeline patrol aircraft, sighted and followed N89WW trailing blue smoke. At approximately 1432 CST N65KC witnessed N89WW attempt an off field landing in a corn field and flipped on its back during landing. N65KC reported sighting smoke and fire in N8922 1-2 minutes after the aircraft landed and flipped. Three wood propeller pieces were found approximately 60' right of flight path beginning approximately 35' from touchdown point tapering to approximately 30' right of flight path near airplane's final resting position. Engine was found directly adjacent to cockpit on right side approximately 2' from aircraft. Post accident fire consumed aft engine area, forward firewall, fuel tank, and forward to mid cockpit areas including instrument panel. Control system integrity could not be established due to fire damage, however, no anomalies were found that could be attributed to pre-impact defect of the control system. Instrument panel, instruments, and switches were consumed by fire. Instruments could not be read and no continuity check could be done to establish switch positions. Engine was not seized and valve trim integrity was established. Integrity of oil cooler and lines was established and no leaks found. No evidence of fire on top, sides, bottom, or forward end of engine. Magnetos, starter, and rear side of aft engine baffle sustained fire damage. All wiring, lines, and control linkage was torn loose in crash except for ignition leads which remained intact. Post accident engine examination revealed normal compression on right side cylinders and no compression on 2 left hand cylinders. All left hand cylinder head bolts were found with little or no torque. The lower rear bolt was found backed out 1/8". Removal of cylinder heads revealed the pistons were normal. Both left hand cylinders show evidence of severe blow of combustion gases through a leak in the area of the mating surfaces of the barrel and head. At the bottom rear and bottom front areas of the left cylinder head, the metal had been cut by the hot combustion gases. Evidence of combustion gases escaping were found on the lower fins of the cylinder heads in the same locations. The top end of both left hand cylinder barrels showed massive leakage of combustion gasses in the same location as the cylinder heads as noted above. No evidence was found in or on the cowling of any pre crash fire. Soot emanating from cockpit bulkhead seams and fuselage drain holes moved forward and up, consistent with a post crash fire and the wind direction after impact.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) N89WW DEPARTED ALTON REGIONAL AIRPORT, ALTON, IL (KALN) AT 1410 CST. N89WW ISSUED DISTRESS CALL TO ALTON, IL (KALN) ATCT AT 1428 CST INDICATING ENGINE TROUBLE APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. AT 1430 CST N65KC, A PIPELINE PATROL AIRCRAFT, SIGHTED AND FOLLOWED N89WW TRAILING BLUE SMOKE. AT APPROXIMATELY 1432 CST N65KC WITNESSED N89WW ATTEMPT AN OFF FIELD LANDING IN A CORN FIELD AND FLIPPED ON ITS BACK DURING LANDING. N65KC REPORTED SIGHTING SMOKE AND FIRE IN N8922 1-2 MINUTES AFTER THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AND FLIPPED. THREE WOOD PROPELLER PIECES WERE FOUND APPROXIMATELY 60' RIGHT OF FLIGHT PATH BEGINNING APPROXIMATELY 35' FROM TOUCHDOWN POINT TAPERING TO APPROXIMATELY 30' RIGHT OF FLIGHT PATH NEAR AIRPLANE'S FINAL RESTING POSITION. ENGINE WAS FOUND DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO COCKPIT ON RIGHT SIDE APPROXIMATELY 2' FROM AIRCRAFT. POST ACCIDENT FIRE CONSUMED AFT ENGINE AREA, FORWARD FIREWALL, FUEL TANK, AND FORWARD TO MID COCKPIT AREAS INCLUDING INSTRUMENT PANEL. CONTROL SYSTEM INTEGRITY COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED DUE TO FIRE DAMAGE, HOWEVER, NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND THAT COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO PRE-IMPACT DEFECT OF THE CONTROL SYSTEM. INSTRUMENT PANEL, INSTRUMENTS, AND SWITCHES WERE CONSUMED BY FIRE. INSTRUMENTS COULD NOT BE READ AND NO CONTINUITY CHECK COULD BE DONE TO ESTABLISH SWITCH POSITIONS. ENGINE WAS NOT SEIZED AND VALVE TRIM INTEGRITY WAS ESTABLISHED. INTEGRITY OF OIL COOLER AND LINES WAS ESTABLISHED AND NO LEAKS FOUND. NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE ON TOP, SIDES, BOTTOM, OR FORWARD END OF ENGINE. MAGNETOS, STARTER, AND REAR SIDE OF AFT ENGINE BAFFLE SUSTAINED FIRE DAMAGE. ALL WIRING, LINES, AND CONTROL LINKAGE WAS TORN LOOSE IN CRASH EXCEPT FOR IGNITION LEADS WHICH REMAINED INTACT. POST ACCIDENT ENGINE EXAMINATION REVEALED NORMAL COMPRESSION ON RIGHT SIDE CYLINDERS AND NO COMPRESSION ON 2 LEFT HAND CYLINDERS. ALL LEFT HAND CYLINDER HEAD BOLTS WERE FOUND WITH LITTLE OR NO TORQUE. THE LOWER REAR BOLT WAS FOUND BACKED OUT 1/8". REMOVAL OF CYLINDER HEADS REVEALED THE PISTONS WERE NORMAL. BOTH LEFT HAND CYLINDERS SHOW EVIDENCE OF SEVERE BLOW OF COMBUSTION GASES THROUGH A LEAK IN THE AREA OF THE MATING SURFACES OF THE BARREL AND HEAD. AT THE BOTTOM REAR AND BOTTOM FRONT AREAS OF THE LEFT CYLINDER HEAD, THE METAL HAD BEEN CUT BY THE HOT COMBUSTION GASES. EVIDENCE OF COMBUSTION GASES ESCAPING WERE FOUND ON THE LOWER FINS OF THE CYLINDER HEADS IN THE SAME LOCATIONS. THE TOP END OF BOTH LEFT HAND CYLINDER BARRELS SHOWED MASSIVE LEAKAGE OF COMBUSTION GASSES IN THE SAME LOCATION AS THE CYLINDER HEADS AS NOTED ABOVE. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND IN OR ON THE COWLING OF ANY PRE CRASH FIRE. SOOT EMANATING FROM COCKPIT BULKHEAD SEAMS AND FUSELAGE DRAIN HOLES MOVED FORWARD AND UP, CONSISTENT WITH A POST CRASH FIRE AND THE WIND DIRECTION AFTER IMPACT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.