Aircraft and Flight Details
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-28, registration G-BXVC, manufactured in 1979, powered by a single Continental TSIO-360-FB1 piston engine. The flight was a private training flight departing from an unspecified location on 22 August 1998 at 1630 UTC. On board were two crew members and no passengers. The pilot, aged 28, held an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence with a total flying experience of 4,000 hours, including 240 hours in the last 90 days and 70 hours in the last 28 days.
Sequence of Events
As the aircraft approached Rye, the pilot noticed a slight surge of power followed by a rapid loss of oil pressure, after which the engine stopped. While making an emergency call to Lydd, smoke began to appear from the engine cowling. The pilot initiated a rapid descent, which caused the smoke to cease. The pilot carried out a forced landing with full flap, touching down at 65 knots. During the ground roll, at about 20 knots, the pilot observed that the aircraft was heading toward a ditch and attempted to turn away. The aircraft did not respond, and as it crossed the ditch, the nose and right landing gear gave way, and the propeller struck the ground.
Damage and Examination
The aircraft sustained damage to the landing gear, engine, and propeller. External examination revealed oil on the underside of the fuselage, with additional oil collected in the bottom of the rudder, which dripped when the aircraft was moved. Holes were found in the engine crankcase, but the outer surfaces of the engine were not contaminated with oil. The source notes that such oil contamination can be caused by oil leaving the engine through the crankcase breather due to overpressure, which may result from a gas leak past a piston or air entering through the oil filler tube (located in a zone of high ram air pressure).
Before the engine was sent to the AAIB for further examination, approximately 4 pints of oil were removed. Internal examination showed that the big end bearings had overheated due to a lack of oil, particularly at the rear of the engine. One connecting rod had been released from its big end and was found bent around the camshaft, indicating that very high temperatures had occurred during the failure.
Oil Filler Cap
The oil filler cap was not with the engine when it was received at Farnborough. The loss of oil is consistent with the oil filler cap not being in place during the latter part of the flight.