Accident Details
On June 10, 2018, about 1234 Atlantic Standard time, a Cessna 182, registration N3889D, was substantially damaged during a forced landing after a total loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport (ABO) in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The pilot was seriously injured, and the four passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was privately owned and operated by Skydive Puerto Rico as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 skydiving flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff from runway 8, at about 275 ft above ground level, he initiated a left turn to avoid descending jumpers. During the turn, the airplane began to vibrate, and the engine emitted a "clicking" sound while losing power. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot executed a forced landing to a field. The airplane flipped over, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, right wing strut, and vertical stabilizer/rudder. The propeller was also damaged.
Engine Examination
A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the crankshaft was fractured. Due to limited resources in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, there was a delay in shipping the engine. During this time, and unknown to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the engine was sold while the investigation was ongoing. The FAA located the engine in Puerto Rico, and the new owner facilitated its shipment to the manufacturer in Mobile, Alabama, where it was disassembled and examined under NTSB supervision.
The examination showed that the crankshaft was fractured at the No. 3 cheek, forward of the No. 2 connecting rod and aft of the No. 2 main crankshaft journal. The No. 2 main bearing was displaced from its saddle and severely worn. The head of the No. 2 cylinder's connecting rod bolt was fractured and not recovered. The crankcase web mating surfaces at the Nos. 2, 3, and 4 bearing saddles exhibited pitting consistent with fretting. Fracture surfaces examined at the NTSB Materials Laboratory were consistent with fatigue cracking.
Maintenance History
A review of the engine logbook indicated that the engine was last overhauled on October 2, 1997, about 21 years before the accident. According to the Continental Standard Practice Maintenance Manual, the recommended time between overhauls for this model engine was 1,500 hours or 12 years. At the time of the accident, the engine had accrued 2,821.2 total hours and 1,111.2 hours since major overhaul.
The engine was removed from the airplane on September 15, 2017, due to excessive camshaft and lifter wear. A work order associated with this repair documented replacement of the camshaft and lifters at a tachometer time of 2,541 hours and 831 hours since overhaul (280 hours before the accident). On January 5, 2018, at 965 hours since overhaul (146.2 hours before the accident), the No. 4 cylinder was removed and reinstalled after piston rings were staggered. The engine underwent two additional 100-hour inspections, with the last completed on June 5, 2018, at an engine time of 1,087 hours since overhaul.
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land, and instrument airplane. His last FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on December 12, 2017. He reported a total of 2,285 flight hours, of which 1,187 hours were in the same make/model as the accident airplane.