AN SR22 PILOT EXPERIENCED LOW OIL PRESSURE LEADING TO AN ENGINE FAILURE. HE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED SAFELY ON THE RUNWAY.
Synopsis
AN SR22 PILOT EXPERIENCED LOW OIL PRESSURE LEADING TO AN ENGINE FAILURE. HE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED SAFELY ON THE RUNWAY.
Narrative
ON FILED IFR GOING FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ; ABOUT 45 MINS OUT OF ZZZ; GOT A CAUTION LIGHT ON OIL PRESSURE (BORDERLINE RED/YELLOW -- 10 PSI). ALL OTHER GAUGES READ CORRECTLY (FUEL FLOW; OIL TEMP; MANIFOLD PRESSURE; EGT). BESIDES THE LOW OIL PRESSURE READING; SEEMED NORMAL. ADVISED ATC THAT I WAS SEEING THIS LOW PRESSURE AND MIGHT NEED EMER VECTORING IF THE SITUATION DETERIORATED. ATC ASKED WHETHER I WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER AT THE TIME; BUT I SAID NOT YET. I BELIEVE I TOLD THEM I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS A GAUGE PROB OR NOT. IN FLYING THIS ACFT BEFORE; I HAD AN INTERMITTENT FUEL FLOW INDICATION. AFTER FILING A SQUAWK WITH THE CLUB X (ACFT IS RENTED); THEY INFERRED IN ANOTHER E-MAIL TO ME THAT MY SQUAWK MIGHT HAVE UNNECESSARILY GROUNDED THE ACFT. SO; I WAS SENSITIVE TO NOT WANTING TO JUMP THE GUN HERE ON ANOTHER GAUGE READING WHEN ALL OTHER GAUGES LOOKED GOOD (OIL TEMP WAS AROUND 180 DEGS). ATC STEPPED MY ALT DOWN LOWER FOR SAFETY. DURING THAT TIME; PRESSURE SLOWLY DROPPED 9..8..7 PSI. ABOUT 5 MINS OUT FROM THE ARPT; I HAD A REAL PROB. SEEMED THE PROP STARTED TO OVER-SPD DUE TO LOW PRESSURE; AND PRESSURE DROPPED TO 5 PSI. THEN HEARD A BANG AND ENG SHOOK VIOLENTLY. I DECLARED AN EMER. THROTTLE RESPONSE SEEMED MINIMAL. MY SON; FLYING AS MISSION ASSISTANT IN THE R SEAT; SAID HE SAW SPARKS COMING FROM THE ENG COMPARTMENT; BUT I CAN'T CONFIRM. CONTACTED ZZZ TWR AND THEY GAVE ME EITHER DIRECTION FOR RWY XXL OR RWY YR. I CHOSE RWY XXL FOR WIND AND PROCEEDED WITH A SHORT APCH. AS I TOUCHED DOWN; ENG SEIZED (NO PWR); BUT I SUSPECT I WAS ON ZERO PWR WHILE STILL ON APCH (PROP WIND-MILLING). PART OF THE PROB HERE WAS NOT KNOWING IF I COULD TRUST THE GAUGES. GIVEN MY HISTORY WITH THE AIRPLANE; I COULD NOT BE SURE WHETHER I WAS SEEING JUST ANOTHER GAUGE PROB; OR A REAL CONDITION. BACKUP OIL PRESSURE/TEMP GAUGES? I KNOW THIS IS AN EXTRA EXPENSE; BUT HAVE JUST GONE THROUGH A REAL SITUATION.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.