History of Flight
On July 12, 2015, at approximately 1010 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210-5A (N315EC) operated by Skydive East Coast and owned by Seasky27 Productions LLC was substantially damaged during a forced landing. The flight, a skydiving mission under Part 91, had departed from Eagles Nest Airport (31E) in West Creek, New Jersey. During climbout, the total loss of engine power occurred at about 4,000 feet mean sea level. The propeller stopped windmilling about one minute later. An attempted engine restart was unsuccessful. The pilot executed an off-airport landing on a nearby highway, steering into the median to avoid traffic. The aircraft struck several road signs with the wings and horizontal stabilizer during rollout. Video from a New Jersey Department of Transportation traffic camera showed the airplane touching down on a vacant stretch of westbound lanes, veering left, and coming to rest in the median. The commercial pilot and three passengers were uninjured; one passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Personnel Information
The 30-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings, as well as private glider privileges. He also held a flight instructor certificate for single-engine airplanes. His first-class medical certificate was issued on April 8, 2015, with no limitations. He reported 1,151 total flight hours, with 85 hours in the accident aircraft type.
Aircraft Information
The high-wing airplane, serial number 2050494, was manufactured in 1963. It was powered by a Continental Motors IO-520-FCA 285-horsepower engine and a Hartzell controllable-pitch propeller (model PHC-C3YF-LRF). Maintenance records showed a 100-hour inspection on June 19, 2015, at tachometer 848.5 hours, and an annual inspection on March 18, 2015, at tachometer 758.5 hours. At the accident site, the tachometer read 916.47 hours, corresponding to an airframe total time of 7,237.37 hours and engine time since major overhaul of 1,893.57 hours. The engine had been converted from an IO-520-F to an IO-520-A on March 18, 2015, per STC SA09467SC, and redesignated IO-520-FCA. The last two maintenance entries were June 23, 2015 (cylinder No. 2 replaced at tach 852.4 hours, compression check 78/80; reason unspecified) and July 6, 2015 (oil change and pressure screen cleaning at tach 894.33 hours). Notably, on June 19, 2015, the No. 2 cylinder compression check was 77/80.
Meteorological Information
The 0954 recorded weather observation at Atlantic City International Airport (ACY), 20 miles southwest of the accident location, included calm wind, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 27°C, dew point 19°C, and barometric altimeter 30.06 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest upright in the median of a divided highway. Examination revealed damage to both wings. The engine was rotated by hand via the propeller; the crankshaft did not rotate at the rear accessory gears, and no motion was observed on pistons of cylinders No. 1 and 2, while other pistons moved. The engine was removed and disassembled at the manufacturer's facility under NTSB supervision. External inspection found that a deck stud on cylinder No. 1 was pushed out with a loose nut; no torque putty was present on cylinder nuts or through bolts. A thick two-part epoxy covered the engine backbone and crankcase breather tube seam. The oil sump contained residual oil, metallic debris, and sheared bolt remains; metallic debris was also on the oil screen. No torque values were obtained on through bolts during disassembly. Substantial internal damage was present around the No. 2 main bearing, with scoring, fretting, bearing saddle damage, lock slot wear, and bearing extrusion. The crankshaft was fractured near the No. 2 main bearing. According to Continental Motors personnel, this failure exhibited signatures consistent with fatigue, often associated with a bearing shift.