- Date
- January 14, 1992, 13:40 local (19:40 UTC)
- Place
- Spring, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8352ZCessna 205A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920114000569A
- Case key
- 18433
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The partial power loss due to cylinder fatigue and resultant engine vibrations. Factors were the oil covered windshield restricting the pilot's vision and the wet terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
At 12,000 feet AGL the pilot experienced severe engine vibrations and oil was observed escaping from the engine cowling onto the windshield. ATC initially gave vectors for landing at an airport about 18 miles away. Oil on the windshield obscured visibility and engine vibrations worsened and the pilot elected to perform a forced landing off airport. During the landing roll on wet plowed terrain the airplane nosed over. Four of the number two cylinder studs exhibited multi-origin fatigue at the fracture surface due to improper stretch or torque on the studs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8352Z
- Reported as
- Cessna 205A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 205-0352
- Airframe hours
- 5,043
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-S, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Owens, Grady
- Registered owner
- Owens, Grady
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 20, 1991 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- DWH · Tomball, TX
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,100 total · 35 in this make and model · 5,300 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOU, 23 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.