# NTSB ERA16LA123: Taylorcraft BL, N22661, St. Petersburg, FL, March 5, 2016 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: March 5, 2016, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC) - Place: St. Petersburg, FL - Coordinates: 27.723888, -82.665 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.7239&lon=-82.6650&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 92810 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA16LA123 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/92810/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=92810 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16LA123 ## Probable cause A partial loss of engine power due to the fatigue fracture of the No. 3 cylinder head stud. ## 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: [Taylorcraft BL-65, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058530/cases.md?model=8850350), [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-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342) (defining event); cases with it: [Taylorcraft BL-65, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md?model=8850350), [All aircraft, 1,858 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/342/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Taylorcraft BL-65, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=8850350), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Taylorcraft BL-65, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=8850350), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was conducting a cross-county flight in the single-engine airplane when the engine began to run rough. Shortly thereafter, the engine experienced a partial loss of power and the pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a golf course. During the landing, the airplane impacted trees and sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Examination of the engine revealed that two nuts were missing from the No. 3 cylinder head studs, three nuts were loose, and a third stud was fractured. The mostly-flat fracture surface of the stud exhibited features and striations consistent with fatigue, with a shear lip on one side that displayed features consistent with overstress. The fatigue fracture of the No. 3 cylinder head stud led to the loss of engine power and the loosening of several of the other nuts that secured the No. 3 cylinder head to its base. ## Factual narrative On March 5, 2016, about 1345 eastern standard time, a Taylorcraft BL-65, N22661, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near St. Petersburg, Florida. The private pilot and a passenger were not injured. The local personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot reported that after flying for about 1 hour uneventfully, the airplane's engine began to run rough. Shortly thereafter, the engine experienced a 50% power reduction and the pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a golf course. During the landing, the airplane struck trees and sustained substantial damage to the left wing, which partially separated from the fuselage. The airplane was manufactured in 1939 and was equipped with a Lycoming O-145-B2, 65-horsepower engine. Examination of the engine by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that two nuts were missing from the No. 3 cylinder head studs, three nuts were loose, and a third stud was fractured. The corresponding portion of the fractured stud was located on the cylinder cooling fins with the nut and self-looking washer still attached. The cylinder head and fractured stud were forwarded to the NTSB Materials Laboratory, Washington, DC, for further examination. Metallurgical examination of the No. 3 cylinder head revealed that the insert that was installed in the hole that contained the fractured stud had been partially pulled out and protruded above the cylinder head face. The mostly flat fracture surface of the stud contained features and striations consistent with fatigue, with a shear lip on one side that displayed features consistent with overstress. A second stud was partially pulled out of the cylinder head. The remaining studs all appeared to still be seated inside their mating cylinder head holes. Review of maintenance records revealed that airplane's most recent annual inspection was performed on May 15, 2015, about 42 hours before the accident. The engine had been operated for about 18 hours since its most recent inspection, which was performed on October 8, 2015, and included a check of all cylinder head bolts for "tightness." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N22661](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N22661), registered now, S/N 1308, built 1939 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: TAYLORCRAFT BL (65) - Registry model: [Taylorcraft BL-65](https://openairdocs.org/model/taylorcraft-bl-65) (registry code 8850350) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-145B series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-145b-series) (registry code 41502, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1308 - Year built: 1939 - Airframe hours: 2495 - Engines: LYCOMING O-145B-65 65 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 8, 2015, 18 hours before - Departed: CGC, Crystal River, FL - Destination: 48X, Palmetto, FL - Equipment: Handheld GPS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 18; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review May 30, 2015; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 182 total, 71 in this make and model, 78 as pilot in command, 18 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 70° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.07 inHg - Observed at: SPG, 10 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). - [Accident 20160305002199A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160305002199A), Mar 5, 2016: Taylorcraft BL-65, St. Petersburg, FL, Substantial damage. After approximately one hour of flying down the coast from cgc airport pilot began to cross over toward the skyway bridge at 800 ft MSL to track straight to… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 16, 2020, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=92810. 7.2 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 3.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11382797&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=1-16123%20PO%20Report%20Form_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for record (FAA inspector) (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 123 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11389534&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=2a_16123_Int%20Memorandum%20FAA-Rel.pdf - Materials laboratory factual report (item 3, PDF, 8 pages, 10 photos, 1.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11383069&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=2_16-083%20Materials%20Lab%20-%20Factual%20Report%20for%20ERA16LA123-Rel.pdf - Airplane inspection records (excerpts) (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 2.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11386981&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=3-Inspection%20Records_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Investigation photographs (item 5, PDF, 2 pages, 173 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11382853&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=16123%20Investigation%20Photos-Rel.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.