Accident Details
On July 19, 2010, at approximately 1815 eastern daylight time, a Cessna A188B single-engine airplane, registration N5855G, sustained substantial damage after impacting farm equipment and terrain near Clyde, Ohio. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, suffered serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by Gibbs Aero Spray, Inc., of Fremont, Ohio. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The local flight had departed around 1745.
Sequence of Events
According to the operator, the pilot was on his fourth spray pass of the aerial application flight when the airplane's left wing struck a grain auger. The auger, approximately 30 feet tall, was located adjacent to the field next to a round farm building and was displaced roughly 160 feet during the accident. The airplane came to rest upright, and the pilot exited the aircraft. The pilot told a witness who responded to the scene that the airplane's engine had lost power. During a telephone conversation on September 23, 2010, the pilot stated he had no recollection of the accident. He was informed by company personnel that he had begun flying on the day of the accident at 0700 and had taken a 30-minute lunch break.
Aircraft and Engine Examination
Examination of the airplane revealed the left wing was bent and twisted, the fuselage was fragmented, and the right wing was bent. The crankshaft flange and propeller assembly had separated from the engine and came to rest between the grain auger and the main wreckage. The engine was retained for further examination.
According to engine maintenance records, the engine had undergone its most recent annual inspection on March 15, 2010, at a total time of 654 hours since major overhaul. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated 854.8 hours since major overhaul.
On September 23, 2010, at the facilities of Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) in Mobile, Alabama, the IO-520-D engine (serial number 281247) was examined by the Safety Board investigator-in-charge, along with representatives from TCM and Cessna Aircraft Company. Examination and disassembly of the engine did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have prevented normal operation and production of rated horsepower. Examination of the crankshaft flange fracture surfaces displayed 45-degree shear lips consistent with a torsional overload failure.