Accident Overview
On July 26, 2015, at 1520 central daylight time, a Cessna 195A, registration N195AP, experienced a total loss of engine power during takeoff from Iuka Airport (15M) in Iuka, Mississippi. The airplane sustained substantial damage during a subsequent forced landing. The airline transport pilot and a passenger sustained minor injuries. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight destined for Mesquite Metro Airport (HQZ) in Mesquite, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Pilot's Account
According to the pilot, he had landed at 15M to purchase 64 gallons of 100LL fuel before departing for Texas. The takeoff appeared normal until reaching an altitude of about 600 to 800 feet above ground level. At that point, he observed one of the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) bars on his engine monitor drop. The pilot reported that the engine felt "a little rough" and he made an immediate turn back toward the airport. Shortly thereafter, the engine suddenly stopped producing power, forcing the pilot to execute a forced landing on a narrow road adjacent to the airport. The airplane landed hard, resulting in substantial damage to both wings, the firewall, and the right horizontal stabilizer. The landing gear and propeller were also damaged.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed that the right-hand lower engine mount was broken in two places, and the engine had shifted upward and backward, forcing the starter through the firewall. The fuel supply hose bushing, which screwed into the inlet side of the engine-driven fuel pump, was also fractured at the back of the pump. The fuel pump was removed; its drive was undamaged. Continuity to the fuel drive was established by manual rotation of the propeller. An electric drill was used to turn the engine-driven fuel pump while fuel was poured into the pump; the pump forced fuel out as designed.
The engine-driven fuel pump was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Lab for examination of the fractured supply hose bushing. The examination revealed that the brass bushing failed due to overload stresses, with no pre-existing anomalies noted.
The fuel servo was undamaged. A fuel sample from the main supply was free of water and debris. Continuity of the fuel selector valve was confirmed through the left, right, and off positions. The electric boost pump operated normally during testing. The fuel line normally connected to the inlet side of the engine-driven fuel pump was attached to the fuel servo, and all but one of the fuel injector lines were disconnected. When the electric fuel boost pump was activated, fuel spray was observed from each injector. The airframe fuel filter was removed and a small amount of water was found in the bowl. Visual inspection of the spark plugs revealed no anomalies. The distributor was turned on and the engine rotated with the starter; spark was observed on several leads. No mechanical discrepancies were observed that would have precluded normal engine operation.
Pilot Information
The pilot held an airline transport pilot rating for airplane single- and multi-engine land. He reported a total of 12,000 flight hours, of which 1,500 hours were in the accident airplane. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration second-class medical certificate was issued on July 14, 2014.