NYC93LA117

The pilot stated that about 3 minutes after takeoff 'the engine started to knock loudly and had a power loss.' He initiated a forced landing, and the wing struck a pole. A post-impact fire destroyed the airplane. An examination of the engine revealed a fractured crankshaft. The NTSB metallurgist examined the fractured surfaces and determined that the failure was the result of 'fatigue [that] initiated at multiple sites along the surface of the aft radius of the #2 main bearing journal.' The engine had approximately 1196 hours since a remanufactured crankshaft had been installed.

On Friday, June 18, 1993, at 1239 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N735CA, registered to D & P Transportation, Inc., and piloted by Charles P. Hunkele, was destroyed during a forced landing in Holbrook, New York. The pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91.

The airplane departed the Long Island MacArthur Airport, Islip, New York. In the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot stated:

About 3 minutes after take off the engine started to knock and had a loss [of] power. The plane was shaking badly. I looked for an emergency landing area, turned and went towards that area....went through my emergency procedures....set up for my emergency landing....went over a building ...but the left wing struck a light pole.... came to a stop....someone [was] yelling get out its burning.

An examination of the engine was conducted at Mattituck Aviation Corporation, Mattituck, New York, on June 23, 1993, under the supervision of Suzanne Brown, Aviation Safety Inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration. This examination revealed that the engine crankshaft was fractured. No other discrepancies were observed.

The crankshaft was examined by the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Laboratory, Washington, D.C. In the Metallurgist's Factual report, it stated:

The engine was reportedly overhauled 1196.2 service hours prior to the incident. A reman- ufactured crankshaft had been installed at that time. The letter "U" was stamped on the propeller hub indicating that the crankshaft had been previously ultrasonically inspected....Closer inspections...revealed fracture features typical of fatigue progression....beach marks indicated that the fatigue initiated at multiple sites along the surface of the aft radius of the #2 main bearing journal....the fatigue appeared to penetrate about 85% of the cheek's cross section before final overstress fracture through the remaining cross section.

Higher magnification examinations of the fatigue origin area...revealed multiple ratchet marks indicative of at least six fatigue origins located along the same circumferential plane through the aft radius of the journal. Although the origin area was well beyond the normal bearing contact area...the radius surface surrounding the origin had a rubbed appearance with a copperish color. The normal varnish pattern as exhibited in the other radii on the crankshaft was not present on either radius of the #2 main journal, as if the bearing contacted the radius.

An examination of the aircraft/engine logbooks revealed no discrepancies.