N630JL

On July 16, 2020, about 1720 central daylight time, a Beech 36 airplane, N630JL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Independence, Missouri. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot recalled that on the previous flight, he was in cruise flight at 8,000 ft when he noted that the airplane began “moving back and forth.” He scanned the instruments and saw the cylinder head temperatures (CHT) for the Nos. 5 and 6 cylinders were “running in the red” along with oil temperature. The pilot diverted to the nearest airport. During the descent for landing, the engine temperatures returned to normal, and he landed uneventfully.

The pilot called the owner and discussed what had occurred. The owner suggested that if the pilot was comfortable, he should return to the home airfield. Since the engine temperatures returned to normal during the descent and landing, the pilot agreed to return if the taxi and engine run-up checked normal. The engine run-up was normal, and the pilot departed the airport without incident.

During the initial climb, about 4 miles from the airport, the No. 4 CHT increased significantly above the rest of the cylinders. The pilot continued the climb, and the airplane began moving back and forth again and began to respond “sluggishly.” The airplane shook and the pilot was unable to maintain altitude, so he set up for a forced landing to a road. During the approach to landing, the engine quit, and the pilot minimized his bank angle to stay out of a stall situation. When the airplane touched down, the pilot lost directional control and the airplane skidded off the road into a grassy area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.

Examination of the engine found that the No. 5 cylinder head and piston ring had failed with signatures of denotation. Additionally, the turbocharger oil seal had failed. The pilot stated that he was not running lean of peak with fuel.