20101001047799I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 414A · Memphis, TN · October 1, 2010

Date
October 1, 2010 · 15:00 local
Place
Memphis, TN
Airport
Memphis International
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N78KC
Reported as
Cessna 414A
Reported engine
Continental TSIO-520 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
12,000 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

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.

Aircraft was transitioning from hattiesburg, ms (kpib) to dexter, MO (kdxe). About an hour after departure, the pilot noticed oil forming on the port engine cowling. Pilot continued monitoring the engine indicators and the oil on the cowling. When the engine oil pressure started decreasing, the pilot performed an emergency shutdown and declared an emergency. The aircraft diverted to Memphis International Airport (kmem) and landed with no damage. Mechanics investigating the loss of oil from the port engine found a pair of needle nose pliers lodged into the oil cooler. The pliers had punctured a hole in the oil cooler causing oil to leak into the engne compartment. This oil spread to the engine cowling. The loss of oil from the leaking oil cooler eventually caused a loss of oil pressure indication.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS TRANSITIONING FROM HATTIESBURG, MS (KPIB) TO DEXTER, MO (KDXE). ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER DEPARTURE, THE PILOT NOTICED OIL FORMING ON THE PORT ENGINE COWLING. PILOT CONTINUED MONITORING THE ENGINE INDICATORS AND THE OIL ON THE COWLING. WHEN THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE STARTED DECREASING, THE PILOT PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE AIRCRAFT DIVERTED TO MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KMEM) AND LANDED WITH NO DAMAGE. MECHANICS INVESTIGATING THE LOSS OF OIL FROM THE PORT ENGINE FOUND A PAIR OF NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS LODGED INTO THE OIL COOLER. THE PLIERS HAD PUNCTURED A HOLE IN THE OIL COOLER CAUSING OIL TO LEAK INTO THE ENGNE COMPARTMENT. THIS OIL SPREAD TO THE ENGINE COWLING. THE LOSS OF OIL FROM THE LEAKING OIL COOLER EVENTUALLY CAUSED A LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE INDICATION.