- Date
- June 5, 1994, 19:15 local (Jun 6, 1994, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Prospect, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N943TASiai-Marchetti SF.260B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 12, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940605017689A
- Case key
- 41941
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 fracture of a connecting rod. Factors include no suitable forced landing site, and a fence and irrigation system in the field where the forced landing took place.
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
About 45 minutes into the flight, the number six connecting rod experienced a fatigue failure, and caused catastrophic damage to the engine crankcase. The fracturing of the case resulted in a loss of oil, and the loss of oil pressure resulted in a runaway propeller. The pilot then executed a successful forced landing, but the aircraft was damaged when it collided with an irrigation pipe and a fence during the landing roll. The aircraft, which is used extensively for professional air show aerobatics, is powered by an engine that is classed as experimental because it contains high compression pistons.
Factual narrative
On June 5, 1994, approximately 1915 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Siai-Marchetti SF.260B, N943TA, collided with irrigation equipment and a fence during a forced landing near Prospect, Oregon. Neither the commercial pilot, nor his passenger were injured, but the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which departed Medford, Oregon, about 1830 PDT, was in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. There was no flight plan filed, and no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, about 45 minutes into the flight, there was sudden and violent vibration from the engine. Immediately thereafter, the oil pressure dropped to zero, and the propeller went to maximum rpm, and could not be controlled with the propeller control lever. There were no unobstructed fields available for a forced landing, so he elected to land in a nearby field that was crossed by a fence and an irrigation pipe line. The touchdown was successful, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage when it rolled through the pipe and fence.
This aircraft, which is used extensively for professional air show aerobatics, was powered by a Lycoming IO-540-G engine. The engine was classed as experimental because it contained 10.1 to 1 compression ratio pistons, instead of the standard 8.71 to 1 pistons. The engine was sent to Fort Collins, Colorado, where the FAA supervised an inspection teardown by Demars Aero Limited. The FAA report stated that it appeared the number six connecting rod experienced a fatigue failure, which caused catastrophic damage to the engine crankcase. The fracturing of the case released the engine oil, and the loss of oil pressure resulted in a runaway propeller.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N943TA
- Reported as
- Siai-Marchetti SF.260B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11-01
- Airframe hours
- 3,307
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-G, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Register, Barney E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1994 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- MFD · Medford, OR
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
- 46
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 17,500 total · 2,300 in this make and model · 17,150 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.