On January 21, 2017, about 1445 eastern standard time, a Bellanca 17-30A airplane, N39819, conducted a forced landing near Kidron, Ohio. The pilot was not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged during the accident. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot reported that he was on a personal flight, and had been airborne for about 40 minutes. He added that he was in cruise at about 2,600 ft above mean sea level (MSL) when he heard a "bang", and the engine started to shake and lose power. He turned towards an airport, but believed that the airplane was not going to make the airport, so he selected a field for the forced landing. During the forced landing, the left wing collided with a brush pile and the airplane impacted a stand of pine trees before coming to a stop.
Examination of the airplane on site, by the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, found substantial damage to the airplane's fuselage and wings. The inspector also noted that the underside of the airplane and engine compartment had a coating of oil. Additionally, oil quantity was not present on the dipstick. An area was noted on the engine sump, that appeared to be an internal impact mark. Nuts holding the vacuum pump on the engine appeared loose.
The engine was separated from the airframe and shipped to the manufacturer's facility in Mobile, Alabama. The engine was examined by the National Transportation Safety Board and technical representatives from Continental Motors. After a visual inspection of the engine, an attempt to rotate the crankshaft was made; the engine rotated but with great difficulty.
Disassembly of the engine found only a small amount of oil in the engine sump, along with numerous metal pieces. Inspection of the oil filter element found small amounts of metal. The crankshaft's number five rod journal had heat damage and the connecting rod had separated from the journal. The number one and two rod journals were dry and heat damaged, but the connecting rods remained attached and showed signs of heat distress.
A review of the engine's maintenance records revealed the engine was overhauled in December 2008. The engine had accumulated about 263 hours since the overhaul. The records also indicated the engine's vacuum pump was replaced on December 23, 2016, and had accumulated 1.19 hours, at the time of the accident.