Summary
On December 09, 1994, a Cessna 175A (N6949E) was involved in an accident near Greenwood, SC. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: UNAPPROVED MAINTENANCE WORK DONE BY UNCERTIFICATED PERSONS WHICH RESULTED IN A BROKEN STARTER DRIVE WHICH WAS NOT PROPERLY REMOVED FROM THE ENGINE. THE PARTICLES SHEARED THE MAGNETO SHAFTS CAUSING THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
On December 9, 1994, at 1446 eastern standard time, a Cessna 175A, N6949E, collided with the ground during an emergency landing after a complete loss of engine power near Greenwood, South Carolina. The business flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the pilot received minor injuries. The flight departed Barnwell, South Carolina at 1350 hours.
According to the pilot, about 39 minutes into the flight, he experienced carburetor icing conditions and a subsequent total loss of engine power. After the engine quit, the pilot selected a paved road adjacent to a golf course. As he approached the intended landing area, a vehicle pulled on to the road.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ATL95LA025. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N6949E.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
UNAPPROVED MAINTENANCE WORK DONE BY UNCERTIFICATED PERSONS WHICH RESULTED IN A BROKEN STARTER DRIVE WHICH WAS NOT PROPERLY REMOVED FROM THE ENGINE. THE PARTICLES SHEARED THE MAGNETO SHAFTS CAUSING THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On December 9, 1994, at 1446 eastern standard time, a Cessna 175A, N6949E, collided with the ground during an emergency landing after a complete loss of engine power near Greenwood, South Carolina. The business flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the pilot received minor injuries. The flight departed Barnwell, South Carolina at 1350 hours.
According to the pilot, about 39 minutes into the flight, he experienced carburetor icing conditions and a subsequent total loss of engine power. After the engine quit, the pilot selected a paved road adjacent to a golf course. As he approached the intended landing area, a vehicle pulled on to the road. The pilot reversed course and selected what he believed to have been a fairway on the golf course. As he touched down, he realized that the landing site was part of a driving range. The airplane came to rest inverted in a sand trap.
An engine inspection revealed that both magneto shafts were sheared. A metallurgical examination indicated that the shafts failed in torsional overload. Both magnetos turned freely and, upon disassembly, exhibited normal operational signatures. The teeth in one magneto gear exhibited gouges and depressions and a crack through the root of one tooth. A hole was broken through the accessory case adjacent to the right magneto gear, and the inside of the accessory case was gouged in the vicinity of the hole. The external teeth on the camshaft gear, which drives the magnetos, exhibited nicks and gouges through 90 degrees of arc. The engine exhibited no conditions which would have caused the magneto shafts to break. The engine oil was strained through a filter and metal particles were discovered.
The Federal Aviation Administration inspector discovered unapproved maintenance work which had been done on the aircraft, by uncertificated persons, prior to the accident. During the work, the airplane starter drive had been broken; when the engine was started it kicked back and broke the gear on the starter drive. A magnet was used to retrieve the broken gear from the rear of the engine. The accessory case was not removed to extract the remainder of the broken gear particles.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ATL95LA025