20211124019799A

N6209U DEPARTED KHPN ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN TO KAKR WITH 2 OCCUPANTS.

THE FLIGHT WAS BEING HANDLED BY YOUNGSTOWN APPROACH CONTROL, AT APPROXIMATELY 1620, THE PILOT INDICATED A LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE. N6209U WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES WEST OF THE CLARION, PA (KAQX) AIRPORT. THE PILOT CANCELLED HIS IFR FLIGHT PLAN THEN DIVERTED AND LANDED AT THE CLARION AIRPORT AT ABOUT 1625. THE PILOTS CALLED THE AIRPORT ASSISTANT MANAGER SINCE THE OFFICE WAS CLOSED.

THE AIRPORT ASSISTANT MANAGER CALLED THE LEAD MECHANIC OF STAT MEDIVAC WHO WAS WORKING AT THE AIRPORT TO SEE IF HE WOULD ASSIST THE PILOTS. THE MECHANIC GAVE THE PILOTS 6 QUARTS OF 20W-50 OIL THEN THE PILOTS ASKED HIM IF THEY COULD GET HANGAR SPACE. HE REPLIED TO THE PIC, WHEN HE FINISHED HIS SHIFT, HE WOULD ASSIST THE PILOTS. LATER, THE PILOTS OF N6209U TOLD THE MECHANIC THAT THEY BELIEVED THEY HAD LOST OIL THRU THE OIL DIPSTICK TUBE. THE MECHANIC WENT BACK TO WORK AND THE N6209U PILOTS GAVE HIM SOME DIRTY RAGS FOR DISPOSAL. IN CONVERSATION THE PILOTS OF N6209U TOLD THE STAT MECHANIC THEY WERE GOING TO ?TRY TO LEAVE?.

THE MECHANIC HEARD THE AIRCRAFT START UP AND NOTED IT WAS ?MAKING ABNORMAL CRACKING AND POPPING NOISES AND THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS STILL MAKING THE NOISES WHEN THEY TOOK OFF?.

THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF FROM CLARION AT 1725 IN VMC CONDITIONS. ACCORDING TO THE ADSB DATA, THE LAST REPORTED POSITION WAS ONE MILE EAST OF THE GROVE CITY AIRPORT AT 1740. THE AIRCRAFT WAS AIRBORNE FOR 20 MINUTES BEFORE MAKING A MAYDAY CALL TO YOUNGSTOWN ATC.

ONE WITNESS ON THE GROUND WHO ALSO WORKS FOR THE GROVE CITY AIRPORT HEARD THE AIRCRAFT FLY OVERHEAD AND NOTICED IT WAS MAKING UNUSUAL NOISES. SHE GOT INTO HER CAR AND HEADED TOWARDS THE AIRPORT AND ON HER DRIVE TO THE AIRPORT SHE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM YOUNGSTOWN APPROACH INDICATING AN AIRPLANE HAD WENT DOWN. UPON INSPECTION OF GROVE CITY AIRPORT CAMERA SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE, IT REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON FIRE PRIOR TO ITS IMPACT.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A 210 HEADING WHEN IT IMPACTED THE TREES. THE LEFT WING TIP SEPARATED ON INITIAL IMPACT APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET EAST OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST INVERTED ON A 35 DEGREE EMBANKMENT FACING ABOUT 090 DEGREE HEADING. THE FUSELAGE AND THE INNER PART OF BOTH WINGS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED IN THE POST-ACCIDENT FIRE. THE RIGHT WING TIP CAME TO REST UNDER THE EMPENNAGE ABOUT 60 FEET NORTH FROM WHERE THE ENGINE WAS FOUND.

THE LEFT SEAT PIC OWNER OF N6209U PERISHED IN THE CRASH AND WAS IN HIS SEAT POSITION ACCORDING TO THE FIRST RESPONDERS. THE RIGHT SEAT PILOT/MECHANIC SURVIVED THE IMPACT AND MANAGED TO CRAWL AWAY FROM THE FIRE AND WAS FOUND BY RESCUE CREWS. HE SUFFERED SECOND AND THIRD DEGREE BURNS OVER 94% OF HIS BODY. HE SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES 4 DAYS LATER AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HOSPITAL IN PITTSBURGH. TWO HOLES WERE OBSERVED IN THE TOP OF THE ENGINE CRANKCASE. ONE HOLE WAS LOCATED FORWARD OF THE NO. 5 CYLINDER AND WAS ABOUT 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER. THE SECOND HOLE WAS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE NO. 4 CYLINDER AND WAS ABOUT 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER. THE NO. 4 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD WAS SEPARATED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT. THE NO. 5 CYLINDER PISTON WAS FRAGMENTED. THE ENGINE COULD NOT BE ROTATED. THE TWO THROUGH-BOLTS THAT CONNECTED CYLINDERS NO. 4 AND NO. 5 WERE MISSING NUTS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE. THE TWO THROUGH-BOLTS THAT CONNECTED CYLINDERS NO. 2 AND NO. 3 WERE MISSING NUTS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE. IN ADDITION, A 1/16-INCH GAP WAS OBSERVED BETWEEN THE TWO THROUGH-BOLT NUTS ON THE AFT SIDE OF THE NO.1CYLINDER. ALL THROUGH-BOLT THREADS APPEARED UNDAMAGED AND INTACT.