Accident Overview
On March 26, 2019, at about 1730 central daylight time, a Cessna 140 airplane, registration N76268, nosed over during a forced landing near the Newton City/County Airport (EWK) in Newton, Kansas, following a loss of engine power. The private pilot, who was also the registered owner, was uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing and empennage. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight, and day visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The local flight originated from EWK and was not operated on a flight plan. This was the first flight after an annual inspection.
Flight History
According to the pilot's accident report, the engine run-up check was conducted before departure, and the magnetos and carburetor heat were reported as "good." During the takeoff and climb out, engine power was described as "good." While turning to the downwind leg, the pilot noticed a slight loss of engine power below what he considered "normal." He checked the throttle position and continued the downwind leg. The pilot considered a crosswind landing on runway 8/26 but felt he had sufficient engine power to execute a short 180° approach to runway 17. During the turn to final, the engine power dropped further, "clattered" for about 3-4 seconds, and then stopped completely. The pilot stated that the only option was to land straight ahead in a field to the north of runway 17, resulting in the nose-over.
Engine Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the engine and found that the propeller could only be rotated through 270° of rotation. The engine was subsequently removed from the airplane, crated, and shipped to Continental Motors for a disassembly inspection. During disassembly, the No. 1 connecting rod end was found to be separated from its crankshaft journal, and the rod end exhibited discoloration consistent with lubrication distress. Liberated sections of the No. 1 connecting rod bearing were found in the oil sump, also showing discoloration consistent with lubrication distress. The oil transfer tube orifice for the No. 1 connecting rod bearing was smeared over with migrated connecting rod journal material. When this migrated material was drilled through, only metallic particles that were attracted by a magnet were present. The remaining oil transfer tube orifices and oil galleys were not obstructed. The remaining three connecting rods remained attached to the crankshaft, but their rod ends and bearings all exhibited discoloration consistent with lubrication distress. Scoring consistent with hard particle passage was observed within the oil pump housing. The camshaft was fractured in the area abeam the separated connecting rod, and the camshaft fracture surfaces appeared grainy and dull, consistent with overload. The oil filter, hand-dated March 22, 2019, was cut open and contained one spot of dark-colored debris, with no other debris found within the filter pleats. The oil suction pickup tube was disassembled and found to contain no debris.