FTW95FA003

The commercial pilot reported to ATC that his engine was losing oil pressure while in cruise flight at FL190. The pilot requested to deviate to a nearby airport and ATC cleared him to descend to 12,000 feet. The pilot entered instrument conditions as he proceeded to the airport. During his emergency descent, the pilot communicated his intentions to the UNICOM operator at the airport of intended landing. When asked about his location, the pilot stated that he was 8 miles east, had lost his oil pressure, and hoped he didn't hit any of the mountains. Search and rescue aircraft responding to the ELT signal reported that the mountains were obscured at the time of the accident. The airplane was located 400 feet below the crest of a 9,765 foot mountain. The belly and underside of the fuselage was covered with fresh oil. Examination of the engine revealed that a 'b' nut on a braided oil line connecting the oil pump to the turbocharger was loose. The engine teardown found no internal evidence of lubrication or thermal distress within the engine.

History of flight

On October 1, 1994, at 1645 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T210M, N732VK, was destroyed during a forced landing near Richmond, Utah. The instrument rated commercial pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. An instrument flight plan was filed and a weather briefing received. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight.

According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the airplane was in cruise flight at FL190 on an IFR clearance from Woodland, California, to Lander, Wyoming. The pilot reported losing engine oil pressure and requested to land at the Logan-Cache Municipal Airport (LGU), near Logan, Utah. ATC cleared the flight direct to LGU and cleared the pilot to descend to 12,000 feet. Radio and radar contact were lost 10 miles northeast of Logan, while the aircraft was descending through 12,000 feet.

An employee of the Logan Airport monitored a transmission received on Unicom by the pilot of N732VK. On the pilot's initial call, he stated that "he was experiencing oil pressure problems and was attempting a dead stick landing at Logan." Another airplane in the pattern called the pilot in distress to find out his location from the airport. The pilot responded that "he was 8 miles east, had lost his oil pressure, was IMC, and he hoped he didn't hit any of the mountains." The mountains east of Logan were obscured by clouds at the time of the accident. There were no reported eyewitnesses to this accident.

Aircraft information

The airplane was topped off with 68 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline at the Woodlands-Watts Airport, the evening before the accident. The airplane was also serviced with 2 quarts of 15W50 Aeroshell oil at that time. The FBO manager reported in a telephone interview that prior to departing Lander, Wyoming, the pilot had asked him to service the airplane with one quart of oil, and to place 3 quarts of oil in the baggage compartment.

The FBO manager also reported that the airplane had a substantial oil leak as evidenced by the heavily oil soaked belly, when the airplane was at his location last June, while on an overnight stay on a trip to Canada.

The airplane was home-based at Festus, Missouri. The airplane and engine logbooks were not made available, and despite several attempts, they could not be recovered.

Communications

A complete weather briefing was received and an IFR flight plan was filed with the Rancho Murieta Flight Service Station by the pilot prior to his departure from Woodland, California. The transcripts from all pertinent communications between the airplane and the ATC facilities are enclosed in this report.

Wreckage and impact information

The wreckage of the airplane was located on the east slope of Cherry Peak (elevation 9,765 feet), approximately 400 feet below the crest of the mountain, on a heading of 020 degrees. The slope of the terrain was 50 to 60 degrees. About 12 inches of snow fell after the accident. Damage to the leading edge of the right wing was more pronounced than that of the left wing. The airplane, configured with the gear and flaps in the retracted position, came to rest on a heading of 282 degrees. Continuity was established to all flight controls. The elevator trim tab was found with 1 3/4 inches of nose down tab. The belly and underside of the airplane were found heavily soiled with fresh engine oil.

The engine separated from the airframe, and came to rest in a drainage ditch approximately 600 feet downslope of the main wreckage. The exhaust system was not pliable at the time of impact and several cracks were observed within the exhaust stacks. The propeller spinner was crushed, the hub was fractured and two of the three blades were separated from the hub. The turbocharger assembly and one of the propeller blades were not recovered.

Both fuel cells were compromised by impact damage, and no fuel was found at the accident site. Search and rescue personnel reported a strong smell of fuel when they first arrived at the accident site to recover the bodies.

Medical and pathological information

An autopsy and toxicological examination were requested and performed. The autopsy was performed by Office of the Medical Examiner for the State of Utah, on October 10, 1994. Toxicological tests were negative.

Test and research

The engine was recovered and transported to the engine manufacturer's facility where an examination and teardown of the engine was performed. No internal defects or anomalies were found. There were no internal signatures of lubrication or thermal distress within the engine. The source of the oil leak was a braided oil line connecting the oil pump to the turbocharger waste gate actuator. A "B" nut on 45 degree "L" fitting was found to be three and a half flats lose. See enclosed report of the examination.

Additional data

The wreckage was released to the owner's representative following the field portion of the investigation.