What happened
During the approach phase to the Bluefield-Mercur County airport, the pilot of the aircraft experienced mechanical difficulties involving one of the engines. In response to these technical complications, the pilot initiated an emergency landing procedure. During this maneuver, the plane impacted several trees and crashed a short distance from the airfield.
The accident resulted in three injuries among the occupants. The impact caused the total destruction of the aircraft.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified that the primary cause was a collision with trees during an aborted approach. This sequence of events was driven by improper maintenance of the engine's lubrication system. Specifically, investigators noted several critical issues within the engine components:
- The magnetic plugs in the lubricating system were missing.
- There was evidence of oil exhaustion related to the engine lubrication system.
- The oil sump drain plug could not be located.
- While the threads on the sump hole remained clean and undamaged, the lack of proper components contributed to the failure.