# NTSB MIA08LA196: Cessna 120, N77068, Jesup, GA, September 19, 2008 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 19, 2008, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC) - Place: Jesup, GA - Coordinates: 31.553888, -81.882499 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.5539&lon=-81.8825&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/340) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 17, 2010 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 68959 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=MIA08LA196 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/68959/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=68959 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA08LA196 ## Probable cause An oil starvation-induced catastrophic engine failure due to the improper installation of the crankshaft expansion plug during engine overhaul. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Maintenance: installation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035): Personnel issues › Task performance · Maintenance personnel (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 120, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035/cases.md?model=2071402), [All aircraft, 371 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02062035/cases.md) - [Engine (reciprocating): recip eng front section](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058510): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Incorrect service/maintenance (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 120, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058510/cases.md?model=2071402), [All aircraft, 13 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058510/cases.md) - [Engine (reciprocating): recip eng oil sys](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058550): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Malfunction (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 120, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058550/cases.md?model=2071402), [All aircraft, 130 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058550/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Prior to flight: Aircraft maintenance event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/040); cases with it: [Cessna 120, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/040/sequence.md?model=2071402), [All aircraft, 484 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/040/sequence.md) - [Enroute-cruise: Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/340) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 120, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/340/sequence.md?model=2071402), [All aircraft, 820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/340/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Cessna 120, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=2071402), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092); cases with it: [Cessna 120, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=2071402), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot stated that they were about 1 hour and 20 minutes into their planned 2-hour cross country flight, when an opaque film began to accumulate on the airplane’s windshield. Engine oil was observed leaking from the forward right engine cowling area. Within a minute, forward visibility was severely restricted and the pilot had to rely on the instruments for level flight while referring out the side window for visual reference. There were no abnormal indications from the engine instrumentations. The nearest airport was too far away so the pilot elected to land in a clear field within gliding distance. The pilot approached the open field in a slip; the windshield was covered with oil. He lost visual reference as he recovered from the slip to land, and had to estimate the flare for the touchdown. The airplane landed hard and bounced, which separated the right wheel assembly from the gear. The airplane’s right gear dug in on the second contact with the ground, resulting in the airplane coming to an abrupt stop in a nose-low and tail-high position. A wreckage examination revealed the engine oil was leaking from the front section of the engine crankcase, behind the propeller flange. The forward crankshaft expansion plug was observed dislodged from it seating, allowing pressurized oil to escape from the forward end of the crankshaft. The airplane’s engine had been overhauled 39 flight hours prior to the accident. ## Factual narrative On September 19, 2008, at 1100 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 120, N77068, incurred substantial damage during a force landing in an open field near Jesup, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, personal flight. The pilot and the passenger were not injured. The pilot stated that he planned a flight from the Macon Downtown Airport, Macon, Georgia to the Jekyll Island Airport, Jekyll Island, Georgia. They departed at about 0945. The flight went uneventful for the first hour of the estimated 2 hour flight. About an hour and twenty minutes into the flight, an opaque film began to accumulate on the windshield. Engine oil was leaking from the forward right engine cowling area. Within a minute, forward visibility was severely restricted and he had to rely on the instruments for level flight while referring out the side window for visual reference. There were no abnormal indications from the engine instrumentations. The nearest airport was too far away and the pilot elected to land in a clear field within gliding distance. The pilot approached the open field in a slip; the windshield was covered with oil. He lost visual reference as he recovered from the slip to land; estimating the flare for the touchdown. The airplane landed hard and bounced, which separated the right wheel assembly from the gear. The airplane’s right gear dug in on the second contact with the ground, resulting in the airplane coming to an abrupt stop in a nose low and tail high position. The pilot and passenger removed their four point restraint system and exited the airplane on their own. A wreckage examination a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the engine oil was leaking from the front section of the engine crankcase, behind the propeller flange. Upon removal of the propeller and spinner, the forward crankshaft expansion plug was observed dislodged from it seating, allowing pressurized oil to escape from the forward end of the crankshaft. The pilot/owner stated the airplane’s engine was overhauled 39 flight hours prior to the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N77068](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N77068-2017-03-21), registration cancelled 2017-03-21, S/N 11522, built 1946 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 120 - Registry model: [Cessna 120](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-120) (registry code 2071402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C85 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c85-series) (registry code 17008, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 11522 - Airframe hours: 2496 - Engines: Lycoming O-290-D 125 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Virgil P. Warren,III - Registered owner: Virgil P. Warren,III - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 16, 2008, 12 hours before - Departed: MAC, Macon, GA - Destination: 09J, Jekyll Island, GA - Flight plan: VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 59; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 152 total, 87 in this make and model, 59 as pilot in command, 13 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 30.14 inHg - Observed at: LHW, 15 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 20080919849859A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080919849859A), Sep 19, 2008: Cessna 120, Jesup, GA, Substantial damage. (-23) As reported by the pilot, after approximately one hour and twenty minutes of flight at an altitude of 3100 feet AGL the pilot noticed a film of oil… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 13, 2010, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=68959. 3.2 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 816 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40328218&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Miscellaneous: Excerpts From the Airplane's Maintenance Records. (item 2, .PDF, 567 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40328220&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Miscellaneous%3A%20Excerpts%20From%20the%20Airplane%27s%20Maintenance%20Records.-Redacted.PDF - Miscellaneous: Excerpts From Lycoming's Crankshaft Expansion Plug Installion. (item 3, .PDF, 346 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40328221&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Miscellaneous%3A%20Excerpts%20From%20Lycoming%27s%20Crankshaft%20Expansion%20Plug%20Installion.-Master.PDF - Photo 1) View of the Front Crankshaft Section. Photo Provided by the Federal Aviation Administration. (item 4, .PDF, 712 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40328222&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201)%20View%20of%20the%20Front%20Crankshaft%20Section.%20Photo%20Provided%20by%20the%20Federal%20Aviation%20Administration.-Master.PDF - Photo 2) View of the Crankshaft Expansion Plug. Photo Provided by the Federal Aviation Administration. (item 5, .PDF, 722 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40328223&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202)%20View%20of%20the%20Crankshaft%20Expansion%20Plug.%20Photo%20Provided%20by%20the%20Federal%20Aviation%20Administration.-Master.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.