What happened
The aircraft was involved in a forced landing that occurred at night in an open field. The event was initiated by a complete loss of engine power while the aircraft was in flight. During the subsequent landing roll, the aircraft experienced structural issues with its undercarriage; all three pieces of the landing gear failed due to overload forces encountered during touchdown. Despite these mechanical failures, the aircraft managed to come to rest in an upright position.
The investigation
Following the accident, investigators conducted a thorough examination of the aircraft and its components. Subsequent disassembly of the engine revealed significant internal damage. Specifically, the crankshaft was found to be broken. This mechanical failure was identified as the primary reason for the loss of power that led to the forced landing.
Findings
The investigation determined that the crankshaft had broken, which directly caused the engine failure. However, despite the identification of this component failure, investigators were unable to determine the specific reason or root cause for why the crankshaft failed in the first place. The aircraft sustained substantial damage as a result of the incident.