IAD05FA012

The single-engine airplane was in cruise flight at 19,000 feet when the pilot reported a loss of cabin pressurization, followed by a loss of engine oil pressure, and ultimately a total loss of engine power. With the assistance of air traffic control, the pilot was able to maneuver the airplane to a position over an airport, but was not able to successfully complete a forced landing due to a low cloud ceiling in the area. The wreckage was mostly consumed by a postcrash fire. Examination of the wreckage revealed the engine crankcase was breached, primarily above the number 5 and number 6 cylinders. A turbocharger wastegate hose that was realigned about 17 months earlier was found to have rubbed through. Staining on the turbocharger housing was consistent with the position of an oil leak from the hose; however, the quantity and rate at which the leak occurred could not be determined. The numbers 1 through 5 connecting rods and rod bearings exhibited thermal distress. The number 6 connecting rod and bearing did not, and according to the engine manufacturer, the bearing exhibited "no signs of cavitation, oil starvation, thermal distress, or hard particle embedment." Engine manufacturer correspondence stated that it was not uncommon for the number 6 connecting rod bearing to exhibit little or no damage after an oil starvation event. An examination of the number 6 connecting rod assembly revealed fatigue cracking; however, it was "high stress" fatigue cracking, suggesting that some other event occurred before the connecting rod fractured.

History of flight

On November 12, 2004, at 1147 eastern standard time, a Cessna P210, N6539P, was destroyed during a forced landing in Paint Lick, Kentucky. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and the airplane, which departed Talladega Municipal Airport (ASN), Talladega, Alabama, at 1003, was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan to Port Columbus International Airport (CMH), Columbus, Ohio. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to combined Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) voice transcripts (with some punctuation added for clarity):

At 1104, the pilot reported: "indianapolis center, centurion six five three niner papa checking in with you level flight level one niner zero," and the controller acknowledged the call.

About 18 minutes later, the controller began issuing a change in routing.

At 1127:09, the pilot reported: "and ah, center, centurion six five three niner papa, i got a little problem here," and the controller responded, "go ahead."

The pilot then stated: "and six five three niner papa got an engine ah lost cabin pressure altitude, ah, failure, got to descend."

The controller then cleared the pilot to descend to "one one thousand let me know if you need any more than that, london altimeter is ah, three zero zero niner." The pilot then responded with "one zero, ten thousand."

At 1127:36, the controller asked: "november three niner papa, you say you're havin' engine trouble or just cabin pressure problem?" and the pilot responded: "...i've got engine trouble and cabin pressure problem."

At 1127:44, the controller advised: "okay london airport is ah, at four o'clock and sixteen miles -- ah be the closest one there and just let me know what you want to do."

The pilot then requested a vector to the airport, and the controller responded: "turn right to a heading of one four zero," which the pilot acknowledged.

At 1128:09, the controller advised the pilot of the airport identifier, and at 1128:23, advised the pilot that the "weather at london is saying overcast at ah five hundred -- do you still wanna try to get there?"

The pilot responded: "...stand by sir, i've got to, i've got to get oxygen on here, i'm"

At 1129:46, the pilot stated: "okay six five three niner papa, i'm with you sir," and the controller responded: "...roger and ah, are you making any engine power at all?"

At 1129:53, the pilot responded: "six five three niner papa, yes sir, showing manifold pressure of ah one five, fifteen inches sounds good, ah, i've got fuel flows of...one hundred pounds per hour. ah i think i probably lost the turbo charger, i've got really not a big difference in engine sound ah but um ah let me get a little lower here. ah can you give gimme that vector again please?"

The controller responded that the pilot needed to turn to heading 150, and the airport was 17 miles away. The pilot acknowledged the heading, and stated: "we got oxygen on here."

At 1130:24, the controller repeated that the ceiling was 500 feet, and that Bluegrass Airport was "six hundred feet so i'm not seeing anywhere closer that might be any better.

At 1130:39, the pilot responded: "six five three niner papa, i will ah factor that in sir. i'm going to continue in the turn here and assess the situation and ah, i'll be calling you back here shortly."

At 1130:49, the controller stated: "okay, just ah, let me know. there is some g-p-s approaches in to london. there is a v-o-r approach that comes in from the southwest," which the pilot acknowledged.

At 1131:34, the pilot asked: "...could you look, ah, for some, ah better ah landing conditions ah, to the north?"

At 1131:46, the controller responded that Louisville International Airport was 3,400 overcast, and that the heading would be 340 or 330, "and ah we'll get a mileage away from that if you want to start turning to a three three zero heading we'll get you a clearance to louisville international."

At 1132:00, the pilot acknowledged: "...right turn to heading three three zero, just to keep you advised we're at seventeen inches of manifold pressure now at this lower altitude. looks like the turbo charger problem, engine seems healthy."

At 1132:15, the pilot stated that he wanted to "conserve...altitude" and maintain 10,000 feet, and the controller cleared him to do so.

At 1133:05, the controller cleared the pilot to Louisville, with a heading of 310 degrees, which the pilot acknowledged. The pilot then asked for the "designator" for Louisville, which the controller provided.

At 1134:23, the pilot stated: "(unintelligible) the airport again," and the controller asked him to "say again please."

At 1134:31, the pilot responded: "six five three niner papa, we're declaring an emergency. i've got low oil pressure. i need the closest airport."

At 1134:36, the controller responded: "and november three niner papa, we've got madison airport at ah north, heading three six zero heading and ah, about ah --- one seven miles."

The airport the controller was referring to was Madison County Airport (I39), Richmond, Kentucky.

At 1134:46, the pilot responded: "six five three niner papa, we're we're settin' up for that -- and i'm gonna pull power here. i've got ah -- low as i said low oil pressure."

At 1134:52, the controller stated: "november five three niner papa, roger, can you change frequency now? i can give you Lexington approach. that's in their airspace, they can help you out," and the pilot responded "six five three niner papa give it to me."

At 1134:59, the controller advised the pilot to descend and maintain 4,000 feet, "you've got your emergency," and to contact Lexington approach on frequency 120.5, which the pilot acknowledged.

During this timeframe, the Indianapolis Center and Lexington controllers coordinated the handoff and cleared the airspace.

At 1135:27, the pilot stated: "lexington approach, centurion six five three niner papa with an emergency," and the controller responded: "november three niner papa, lexington approach, roger. lexington altimeter three zero one five. what approach do you want at richmond madison?"

At 1135:36, the pilot answered: "i can't figure that out. give me the designator for this uh emergency landing airport."

At 1135:44, the controller responded: "...the closest airport um in your vicinity is about one zero miles north of your position about one five miles north of your position richmond madison airport."

There were then several calls between the pilot and the controller, confirming that the designator was india three nine.

At 1136:24, the controller stated: "centurion uh three niner papa, at pilot's discretion, descend and maintain three thousand two hundred."

At 1136:30, the pilot responded: "six five three niner papa p-d uh (unintelligible) i need some help here sir. i need these i need somebody to compute up for me a vertical descent profile to get me in. i'm about to lose my engine and uh i need somebody to be figuring out my current altitude and distance to the airport if you could please and give me a descent profile. i, i need to expect that i'm going to lose complete power here at any time. i'm at this point, i'm still maintaining a hundred and fifty knots on the airspeed ah but i'm going to have to try to level here to conserve that altitude and get my glideslope."

At 1137:00, the controller stated: november three niner papa, roger, your position is one two miles south of the richmond madison airport and i'm showing you at one twelve thousand, three hundred feet, twelve thousand three hundred feet.

At 1137:14, the pilot asked for the airport elevation, and at 1137:38, the controller reported it as 1,000 feet.

At 1137:42, the pilot reported: "...three niner papa, we got engine failure in progress he