A BEECHCRAFT-55 ENG HAS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. PLT ELECTS TO RETURN TO DEP ARPT.

Narrative

DEPARTING HPN AT XA00 WITH FLT FOLLOWING TO GAI. CLASS B CLRNC THROUGH NEW YORK CLASS B AIRSPACE. ALL APPEARED NORMAL CLBING THROUGH 6500 FT TO 8500 FT. LOUD 'THUNK' IN L ENG FOLLOWED BY YAW TO L. OIL BEGAN POURING OVER L COWL AND SMOKE APPEARED AFT OF ENG. FEATHERED PROP AND DECLARED EMER WITH ZNY (APCH). HPN STILL IN VIEW AND APPEARED TO BE NEAREST SUITABLE FACILITY. ELECTED TO RETURN TO HPN AND DID SO WITHOUT INCIDENT. NOTE THAT ENGS WERE BOTH COMPLETELY OVERHAULED 34 MONTHS AGO AND ONLY HAVE APPROX 300 HRS ON THEM. THERE IS A 4 INCH SQUARE HOLE IN TOP OF L ENG WITH JAGGED METAL AROUND IT. SEVERAL SMALL 3/4 INCH SQUARE METAL PIECES SITTING BTWN CYLINDERS. I'M GLAD I'M WELL TRAINED WITH LOTS OF RECURRENCY EXPERIENCE. THIS IS ONE SIT WHERE A SECOND ENG WAS ESSENTIAL. IF THIS HAD BEEN A SINGLE ENG; LNDG WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT WITH WINDSCREEN COVERED BY OIL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID DURING THE CALLBACK THAT THE ENG HAD BEEN REPLACED BY THE OVERHAUL COMPANY THAT HAS A REPUTATION OF BEING VERY RELIABLE. THE COWLING WAS DAMAGED BUT A PISTON WAS MISSING AND VARIOUS OTHER PARTS WERE FOUND IN THE BOTTOM OF THE COWLING. THE OVERHAUL COMPANY CONCLUDED THAT A PISTON PIN HAD FAILED. THE RPTR COULD NOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF REGULAR RECURRENT TRAINING TO BE PREPARED FOR AN INCIDENT SUCH AS THIS.