# NTSB DEN05LA070: Ross/Stonecipher Vans RV-6, N345JE, Longmont, CO, April 22, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 22, 2005, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC) - Place: Longmont, CO - Coordinates: 40.163612, -105.16278 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.1636&lon=-105.1628&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 13, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61370 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN05LA070 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61370/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN05LA070 ## Probable cause the loss of engine power due to oil starvation. A contributing factor was the contamination in the inverted oil system's separator. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf, descent - normal - lubricating system - contamination (contributing factor) - fluid,oil - starvation (cause) - engine assembly,connecting rod - failure - Forced landing, descent - emergency - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis While descending to an airport for a fuel stop, the engine started to vibrate and subsequently, lost total power. The pilot initiated a forced landing, and the airplane came to rest upright in a field approximately 3 miles from the airport. Prior to the flight, the engine oil and filter were changed. During preflight, the pilot noted 6 quarts of oil in the engine. Examination of the engine revealed approximately 3 quarts of oil in the engine. All four connecting rod journals and connecting rod caps and straps displayed discoloration and heat signatures consistent with oil starvation. The inverted oil system's separator revealed a black residue in the unit which also partially blocked the separator ports. According to the engine manufacturer's service instruction, the loss of oil from the breather fitting could be caused by an excessive amount of residue in the oil separator and oil line. The instruction recommends that the oil system be disconnected from the engine and flushed with a petroleum solvent every 300 hours of operation. No logbooks entries were noted for compliance with the service instruction; however, no entry was required by Federal Aviation Regulations. ## Factual narrative On April 22, 2005, approximately 1130 mountain daylight time, a Ross/Stonecipher Vans RV-6 single-engine homebuilt airplane, N345JE, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power while descending near Longmont, Colorado. The airline-transport pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed Skypark Airport, Bountiful, Utah, at 0920, and was destined for Longmont. In a telephone interview conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported he purchased the airplane from a private individual in Utah. A day prior to the accident flight, the pilot test flew the airplane for approximately 40 minutes. Upon completion of the test flight, the pilot noted the engine oil had decreased approximately 1/2 quart. On the day of the accident, the pilot was flying the airplane to Kansas, with a planned intermediate fuel stop in Longmont. Prior to departure from Bountiful, the fuel tanks were topped off, and the pilot completed a preflight of the airplane. During the preflight, the pilot noted 6 quarts of oil in the engine. While descending from 12,500 feet to the Vance Brand Airport (2V2) near Longmont, the engine started to vibrate and subsequently, lost total power. The pilot reported no anomalies during the flight prior to the engine vibration. The pilot initiated a forced landing, and the airplane came to rest upright in a field approximately 3 miles from 2V2. After the forced landing, the pilot checked the oil and noted the oil "barely" measured on the dipstick. No evidence of oil was noted in the engine cowling or along the bottom of the fuselage. The right wing sustained substantial damage to the spar, and the main landing gear were bent. The airplane was recovered to the facilities of Beegles Aircraft, Greeley, Colorado, for further examination by the NTSB. On May 4, 2005, at the Beegles Aircraft facility, the Lycoming IO-360-A1A engine was examined by the NTSB IIC. Examination of the engine revealed approximately 3 quarts of oil in the engine. A crack in the crankcase was noted below the number 2 cylinder, and no evidence of residual oil around the crack was noted. The two crankcase halves were separated, and all four connecting rod journals and connecting rod caps and straps displayed discoloration and heat signatures consistent with oil starvation. The number 2 and 3 connecting rod assemblies were fragmented and destroyed. No debris or contamination was noted within the crankshaft oil passages. The crankshaft main bearings were secure and the main journals were undamaged. No discoloration was noted in the cylinder bores and the piston rings were intact. According to the Champion Spark Check-A-Plug Chart, the electrodes displayed signatures consistent with normal operation. The airplane was equipped with a Christen inverted oil system. Examination of the inverted oil system's separator revealed a black residue in the unit which also partially blocked the separator ports. According to Lycoming Service Instruction No. 1397, "Overflow Oil From Breather Fitting of Inverted Oil System," reports had been received from the field of oil being exhausted overboard through the breather fitting. The loss of oil in that manner could cause the engine to become inoperative in a short period. The loss of oil from the breather fitting could be caused by an excessive amount of residue in the oil separator and oil line. The instruction states, "As a means of forestalling any problems that may arise from residue in the inverted oil system, it is recommended that the oil system be disconnected from the engine and flushed with a petroleum solvent...every 300 hours of operation, or at anytime there is evidence of oil being discharged from the breather fitting." A review of the maintenance records revealed the engine had accumulated 829 hours since major overhaul. The most recent conditional inspection was completed on October 7, 2004, at a tachometer time of 790 hours. The tachometer time at the time of the accident was 797 hours. According to a mechanic, the engine oil and filter had been changed prior to the pilot's test flight. In addition, the mechanic completed a compression check and noted "normal" compression on all cylinders. No logbooks entries were noted for compliance with Lycoming Service Instruction No. 1397; however, no entry was required by Federal Aviation Regulations. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N345JE](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N345JE), registered now, S/N 20847, built 1990 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Ross/Stonecipher Vans RV-6 - Registry model: [Ross/Stonecipher VANS RV-6](https://openairdocs.org/model/ross-stonecipher-vans-rv-6) (registry code 05608KS) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-360-A1A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-a1a) (registry code 41818, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 20847 - Airframe hours: 836 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-A1A 220 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Spencer H. Grant - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, October 1, 2004, 7 hours before - Departed: BTF, Bountiful, UT - Destination: 2V2, Longmont, CO ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 85; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review June 1, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 35,000 total, 4 in this make and model, 25,000 as pilot in command, 25 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 90° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050422007199A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050422007199A), Apr 22, 2005: Amtr RV6, Longmont, CO, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot [privacy data omitted] purchased the aircraft from a [privacy data omitted] in salt lake city. He changed the oil and oil filter, and then test… ## Other investigations on N345JE (2) 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 ATL07CA123](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL07CA123), Aug 20, 2007: Vans Vans RV-6 (N345JE), Stockbridge, GA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during the landing roll. - [NTSB SEA97LA145](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA97LA145), Jun 20, 1997: Ross/Stonecipher Vans RV-6 (N345JE), Woods Cross, UT, substantial damage. Probable cause: a bird strike, which penetrated the aircraft canopy. High grass (hay crop) in the forced landing area was a related factor. 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.