# NTSB CEN16LA249: Aero Commander 100 180, N3718X, Port Lavaca, TX, June 14, 2016 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 14, 2016, 09:45 local (14:45 UTC) - Place: Port Lavaca, TX - Coordinates: 28.659721, -96.435279 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.6597&lon=-96.4353&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 3, 2020 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards - NTSB case key (mKey): 93554 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN16LA249 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/93554/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=93554 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN16LA249 ## Probable cause Loss of engine power due to failure of a connecting rod. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine (reciprocating): recip eng cyl section](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Aero Commander 100-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530/cases.md?model=0140208), [All aircraft, 373 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Aero Commander 100-180, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=0140208), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Aero Commander 100-180, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=0140208), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Landing: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094); cases with it: [Aero Commander 100-180, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=0140208), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot had departed on a local flight. He reported that, about 15 minutes after takeoff and when the airplane was about 1,100 ft above ground level, he felt a vibration and heard a "bang." The engine subsequently began to lose power. The oil pressure dropped to zero, the pilot heard another "bang," and the propeller stopped turning. The pilot executed a forced landing to a pasture, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane when the nose landing gear collapsed in soft ground. An engine examination revealed that the No. 4 connecting rod had separated from the crankshaft. However, all fracture surfaces sustained secondary mechanical damage, which precluded further examination. The last engine overhaul was accomplished about 25 years before the accident. The engine manufacturer recommended engine overhauls every 12 years; however, the operator was not required to comply with that recommendation because the airplane was operated under Part 91. Given the available information, the reason for the connecting rod failure could not be determined. ## Factual narrative On June 14, 2016, about 0945 central daylight time, an Aero Commander model 100-180 airplane, N3718X, was substantially damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Port Lavaca, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot reported that he felt a vibration and heard a "bang" about 15 minutes after takeoff when the airplane was at 1,100 ft above ground level. The engine subsequently began to lose power. The oil pressure dropped to zero as the pilot heard another "bang" and then the propeller stopped turning. He executed a forced landing to a pasture, and the nose landing gear collapsed due to the soft ground. A postaccident airplane examination revealed that the engine mount was damaged. An engine examination determined that the No. 4 connecting rod had separated from the crankshaft. The connecting rod mating flanges common to the rod cap were fractured. A fragment of the bearing was partially extruded around the connecting rod. The rod cap was deformed. A mating portion of one connecting rod flange remained secured to the rod cap by the attachment bolt and nut. The opposite connecting rod flange was fragmented and deformed. The attachment bolt was fractured. The bolt shank exhibited necking adjacent to the fracture surface; the mating portion of the bolt and the nut were not recovered. Three bearing fragments were recovered; each fragment was deformed and appeared worn. All fracture surfaces sustained secondary mechanical damage which precluded further examination. A review of the airplane maintenance records by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the most recent engine overhaul was accomplished about 25 years before the accident flight. The engine manufacturer recommended that all engine models be overhauled within 12 years of the "date they first entered service or of last overhaul" in order to "mitigate engine deterioration that occurs with age." However, an aircraft owner is not required comply with the engine manufacturer's recommended overhaul interval when operating under Part 91 unless the engine does not meet the requirements of an annual inspection. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3718X](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3718X), registered now, S/N 5022, built 1968 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AERO COMMANDER 100 180 (180) - Registry model: [Aero Commander 100-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/aero-commander-100-180) (registry code 0140208) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 5022 - Year built: 1968 - Airframe hours: 2374 - Engines: Lycoming O-360-A2F 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, February 19, 2016, 13 hours before - Departed: PKV, Port Lavaca, TX - Destination: PKV, Port Lavaca, TX - Airport: PKV, Calhoun County - Equipment: Stall warning system, Handheld GPS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 76; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review July 16, 2014; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 4,000 total, 475 in this make and model, 4,000 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 8 knots - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 79 °F - Altimeter: 29.90 inHg - Observed at: PKV, 13 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Incident 20160614015349I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160614015349I), Jun 14, 2016: Aero Commander 100-180, Port Lavaca, TX, Minor damage. Aircraft departed calhoun county airport (kpkv) on an easterly heading for a local area flight. In cruise flight at 1100 AGL, 2300 RPM and mixture full rich,… ## Other investigations on N3718X (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB FTW94LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW94LA048), Dec 12, 1993: Aero Commander 100-180 (N3718X), El Paso, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE. ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 15, 2020, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=93554. 2.5 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 350 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40483714&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Accident Photos (item 2, .PDF, 1.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40483715&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Accident%20Photos-Master.PDF - Conversation Summary -- FAA Inspector (item 3, .PDF, 63 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40483716&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Conversation%20Summary%20--%20FAA%20Inspector-Master.PDF - Lycoming Service Instruction -- Engine Overhaul Interval (item 4, .PDF, 548 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40483717&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Lycoming%20Service%20Instruction%20--%20Engine%20Overhaul%20Interval-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.