Accident
On May 30, 2019, about 1100 central daylight time, a Lancair LC41 airplane, N2514F, conducted a forced landing near Cleburne Regional Airport (CPT), Cleburne, Texas. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft and Flight
The airplane was registered to and operated by Van Bortel Aircraft, Inc under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a maintenance test flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight. The flight was conducted to break in the engine's No. 5 cylinder, which had just been replaced.
Sequence of Events
During the flight, the pilot noticed the oil pressure warning light illuminate, followed by a low oil temperature indication. The pilot attempted to divert to CPT; however, the engine experienced a loss of power and he conducted a forced landing. During the landing, the airplane collided with trees and came to rest upright and partly submerged in a small pond about one mile from CPT.
Damage and Examination
Inspection of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the wings, and water submersion damage. The Hobbs meter read 1,090.1 hours. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination. The examination noted the engine case had a hole above the No. 4 cylinder, and when the propeller was rotated by hand, limited rotation and internal binding were noted. A light oil film was observed on the bottom of the airplane. The exam also found an oil pressure switch separated in two pieces. The threaded section remained in its mating joint; the other section rested on an exhaust tube and was attached by its wire connector.
Examination of Oil Pressure Switch
A visual inspection of the switch indicated that it had separated at a manufacturing joint between the body and threaded section. The switch was sent to Textron Aviation, Inc, Materials Laboratory for detailed examination. Textron's examination noted the switch failed at the swaged joint between the threaded section and the base cap section. The examination was unable to determine how the joint failed, as there were no physical indications as to how the swaged joint failed.