CEN20LA228

The pilot and his passenger departed on a cross-country flight en route to their home airport. While flying at 7,500 ft mean sea level, the engine began to violently shake, vibrate, and then lost power. The pilot attempted a forced landing to a nearby airport; however, the airplane impacted trees and terrain short of the runway. The airplane came to rest upright in a field about 300 yards short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 3 cylinder had separated from the engine crankcase. The cylinder, piston, and fractured connecting rod remained within the engine cowling. A review of the maintenance records revealed no recent history of major engine maintenance. Several weeks after the accident, the airplane was recovered by unknown personnel to an unknown location. Examination of the engine to determine the failure of the No. 3 cylinder was not possible.

On June 13, 2020, about 1825 central daylight time, a Beech A24R airplane, N444JR, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Livingston, Texas. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he and his passenger departed Covey Trails Airport, Fulshear, Texas, en route to their home airport in De Ridder, Louisiana. While flying about 7,500 ft mean sea level, the engine began to violently shake, vibrate, and then lost power. The pilot attempted a forced landing to the Livingston Municipal Airport (00R), Livingston, Texas; however, the airplane impacted trees and terrain short of the runway. The airplane came to rest upright in a field about 300 yards short of runway 30. Postaccident examination of the engine at the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the No. 3 cylinder had separated from the engine crankcase. The cylinder, piston, and fractured connecting rod remained within the engine cowling. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, forward fuselage, and firewall. The airplane was not equipped with shoulder harness restraints, and the pilot sustained head and facial injuries. Several weeks after the accident, the airplane was recovered by unknown personnel to an unknown location. Examination of the engine to determine the failure of the No. 3 cylinder was not possible. A review of the maintenance records revealed the most recent 100-hour inspection was completed on July 22, 2019, at a total engine time of 3,555.43 hours and 960 hours since major overhaul. According to the most recent entry in the engine logbook, on March 26, 2020, the engine underwent an oil change at a total time of 3,652.53 hours. The pilot did not return a completed NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident form (NTSB Form 6120).