Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Key Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Meridian, Mississippi 39305
Friday, June 7, 2002 13:48 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot had been airborne for about 45 minutes practicing turns and instrument approaches in VFR condition. He had completed a practice instrument approach to runway 1, was following the published missed approach, and the flight had attained an altitude of about 500 to 600 feet when he reported that he heard a "...loud pop, and the engine quit immediately...[without] warning of the impending engine stoppage." He declared an emergency, was cleared to land, turned left onto a short base leg to runway 1, could not maintain altitude, and he could not make it to the runway. The pilot elected to land in a field, and impacted with trees short of the runway threshold. An engine disassembly revealed that the engine failure was due a broken crankshaft gear bolt, and the separation of the crankshaft gear from the rear of the crankshaft. A laboratory examination of the failed crankshaft gear bolt, revealed that crankshaft bolt part number STD-2209, had failed due to hydrogen embrittlement. The NTSB Materials Laboratory's analysis found that the preponderance of evidence and reference information indicated that the manufacturing cycle (plating/bake delay/bake itself) was the most likely source of hydrogen embrittlement.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
inadequate quality control of the manufacturing processes of the crankshaft gear bolt, resulting in failure of the gear bolt, due to hydrogen embrittlement, a total loss of engine power, and damage to the airplane during the subsequent forced landing.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/7/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1348 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Meridian |
| Event State | MISSISSIPPI |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 39305 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 321956N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0884504W |
| Event Location Airport | KEY FIELD AIRPORT |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | MEI |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0.25 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 200 |
| Airport Elevation | 297 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1253 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | KMEI |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 290 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 8 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 32 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 21 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 10 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.98 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 2320 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 13596 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA SE Reg Com Ctr |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 7 2002 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1500 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 1 2003 9:44AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Jackson FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N697MA |
| NTSB Number | MIA02LA108 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Piper |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32R-301 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3246069 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 7 2001 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 42 |
| Airframe Hours | 447.7 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Mark D. Williams |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 8321 Vanzyverden RD. |
| Aircraft Owner City | Meridian |
| Aircraft Owner State | MS |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 39305 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| 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? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | MEI |
| Departure City | Meridian |
| Departure State | MS |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1300 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach - VFR pattern - final approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 30 2003 1:18PM |
| User who most recently changed record | KENJ |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 01 |
| Runway Length | 10004 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |