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20170404012939I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 182L · Piedmont, MO · April 4, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 4, 2017 · 07:39 local
Place
Piedmont, MO
Airport
Piedmont Municipal
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N42580
Reported as
Cessna 182L
Reported engine
Continental O-470 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
2,721 total
N42580Registered now · Cessna 182LS/N 18259091 · Built 1968Airframe modelCessna 182LEngine modelContinental O-470 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.

Pilot and one passenger were in route from kennett, MO (ktkx) to jefferson, MO (kjef) on an IFR flight plan. The pilot stated the engine settings were 23? Of manifold pressure at 2350-2400 RPM?s and was leaned to POH recommended settings. The pilot stated that when they were about 15 NM northwest of Piedmont, MO (kpyn) at 6000 ft. they heard a muffled bang under the cowl. The engine immediately vibrated and the pilot noticed a drop in power. The pilot selected the nearest button on the GPS to find the closest suitable runway, which was kpyn. He then started a turn to kpyn and contacted Kansas city center to declare an emergency. He stated to the controller that the engine was running rough and was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot shut the engine down by pulling the mixture. About 5 min into the emergency the pilot put the mixture back in to see if he could get some power out of it. The engine then started and produced enough power to hold altitude for about 30 seconds until the nose started to drop again. The engine still produced a slight amount of power, just enough to make a safe landing at kpyn.

The pilot had a mechanic come to kpyn to inspect the engine. The mechanic said in a written statement that he found a damaged piston on the number one cylinder. The top of the piston was gone but the piston pin was visible. The damage to the engine seemed to be isolated to the number one cylinder. The engine was full of aluminum from the piston coming apart. The probable cause of losing oil pressure was because of oil contamination in the oil pressure relief valve. The engine still turned and the other five cylinders still had some compression.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE IN ROUTE FROM KENNETT, MO (KTKX) TO JEFFERSON, MO (KJEF) ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT STATED THE ENGINE SETTINGS WERE 23? OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE AT 2350-2400 RPM?S AND WAS LEANED TO POH RECOMMENDED SETTINGS. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN THEY WERE ABOUT 15 NM NORTHWEST OF PIEDMONT, MO (KPYN) AT 6000 FT. THEY HEARD A MUFFLED BANG UNDER THE COWL. THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY VIBRATED AND THE PILOT NOTICED A DROP IN POWER. THE PILOT SELECTED THE NEAREST BUTTON ON THE GPS TO FIND THE CLOSEST SUITABLE RUNWAY, WHICH WAS KPYN. HE THEN STARTED A TURN TO KPYN AND CONTACTED KANSAS CITY CENTER TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. HE STATED TO THE CONTROLLER THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGH AND WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE PILOT SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN BY PULLING THE MIXTURE. ABOUT 5 MIN INTO THE EMERGENCY THE PILOT PUT THE MIXTURE BACK IN TO SEE IF HE COULD GET SOME POWER OUT OF IT. THE ENGINE THEN STARTED AND PRODUCED ENOUGH POWER TO HOLD ALTITUDE FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS UNTIL THE NOSE STARTED TO DROP AGAIN. THE ENGINE STILL PRODUCED A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF POWER, JUST ENOUGH TO MAKE A SAFE LANDING AT KPYN.

THE PILOT HAD A MECHANIC COME TO KPYN TO INSPECT THE ENGINE. THE MECHANIC SAID IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT HE FOUND A DAMAGED PISTON ON THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER. THE TOP OF THE PISTON WAS GONE BUT THE PISTON PIN WAS VISIBLE. THE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE ISOLATED TO THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER. THE ENGINE WAS FULL OF ALUMINUM FROM THE PISTON COMING APART. THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF LOSING OIL PRESSURE WAS BECAUSE OF OIL CONTAMINATION IN THE OIL PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE. THE ENGINE STILL TURNED AND THE OTHER FIVE CYLINDERS STILL HAD SOME COMPRESSION.