Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Johnston County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Smithfield, North Carolina 27577
Tuesady, April 8, 1997 16:30 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The engine failed and seized as the flight approached the airport for landing. During a forced landing in a field the aircraft nosed over. Post crash examination of the engine showed a counterweight retaining clip, washer, and pivot pin had separated allowing the counterweight to move around on the remaining pivot pin. The counterweight struck the No. 5 piston connecting rod causing it to fail and seize the engine. The counterweight retaining washer was found to have been ground and to not meet the manufacturers specified dimensions. Two pieces of the washer had separated. The engine had been taken by the owner to a community college aircraft maintenance school for overhaul. The engine was returned and installed on the aircraft 83 flight hours before failure. No logbook records were found to show the engine had been overhauled. Representatives of the aircraft maintenance school stated the work performed on the engine was a repair not an overhaul and that the original counterweight retaining washers and clips had been reused.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Installation by a student mechanic of a counterweight retaining washer that did not meet engine manufacturers specifications resulting in partial separation of the counterweight, failure of the No.5 connecting rod adjacent to the counterweight, and seizure of the engine. Contributing to the accident was improper supervision of the student mechanic by aviation school personnel.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/8/1997 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1630 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | SMITHFIELD |
| Event State | NORTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 27577 |
| Event Date Year | 1997 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | JOHNSTON COUNTY |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | JNX |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 2 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 180 |
| Airport Elevation | 165 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1651 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 340 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | RDU |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 436 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 30 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 20000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -2 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 250 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 1200 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 524 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 9 1996 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 700 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 12:13PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4TZ |
| NTSB Number | MIA97LA123 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cumberland |
| Aircraft Model | SKYBOLT |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | SKYBOLT |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 003 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 900 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 1 1997 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 15 |
| Airframe Hours | 285 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CURTIS L. CUMBERLAND |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 16455 E. MULLINIX RD. |
| Aircraft Owner City | WOODBINE |
| Aircraft Owner State | MD |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 21797 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | RBW |
| Departure City | WALTERBORO |
| Departure State | SC |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1400 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | JNX |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 21 |
| Runway Length | 5500 |
| Runway Width | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |