Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
New Castle County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Delaware City, Delaware 19706
Sunday, January 26, 2003 17:36 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The airplane was in cruise flight at 4000 feet msl, at night, when the pilot reported a partial loss of engine power. Air traffic control provided a vector to the nearest airport, about 8 miles north of the airplane's position. About 7 miles from the airport, at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, the pilot reported that he was not going to reach the airport. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain about 6 miles from the airport. Examination of the wreckage revealed an approximate 4-inch diameter hole on the top section of the crankcase, near the number two cylinder. Further examination of the engine at the manufacturer's facility revealed that a silicone sealant consistent with RTV was observed along mating surfaces where the cylinders attached to the case. The substance was also found on the through-bolts. The number two cylinder was found backed-off from the case. The engine case exhibited marks consistent with rubbing between the number two cylinder and the case. The number two piston ring had shattered. The number two piston skirt exhibited impact marks consistent with the skirt striking the case. The number two connecting rod exhibited elongated holes, consistent with an overstress failure, and the rod cap was not recovered. The top of the case exhibited two holes in the vicinity of the magnetos. A mechanic stated that he completed a top overhaul of the airplane engine about 3 months prior to the accident. The overhaul included the installation of six new cylinders. The mechanic reported that he added Permatex RTV (part number 27B) to the cylinder bases during engine assembly. The mechanic further stated that he had referred the manufacturer's service information letter regarding sealants, but it did not list RTV either pro or con. The mechanic stated that he did not refer to the manufacturer's service bulletin SB96-7B. That bulletin stated that the use of sealants or lubricants other than those specified by the manufacturer on mating threads and between mating surfaces can cause incorrect torque application and subsequent engine damage or failure.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The mechanic's improper engine overhaul. A factor was the night condition.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/26/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1736 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | Delaware City |
| Event State | DELAWARE |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 19706 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 393545N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0753428W |
| Event Location Airport | New Castle County Airport |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | ILG |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 6 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 180 |
| Airport Elevation | 79 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1751 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 360 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ILG |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 79 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 6 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 4900 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2300 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 7 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 1 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -4 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 290 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 11 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.04 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 14749 |
| NTSB Notification Source | EROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 26 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1800 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 5 2004 4:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Philadelphia, PA |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6432X |
| NTSB Number | NYC03FA043 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Beech |
| Aircraft Model | V35B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | D-10398 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3400 |
| 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 | Mar 1 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 200 |
| Airframe Hours | 3750 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Leisurecraft Inc |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Wilmington |
| Aircraft Owner State | DE |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19801 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Ronald G. Moyer |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Chapin |
| Operator State | SC |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 29036 |
| 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 | No |
| Departure Airport Code | LOM |
| Departure City | Philadelphia |
| Departure State | PA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1710 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | CAE |
| Destination City | Columbia |
| Destination State | SC |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 21 2003 2:25PM |
| User who most recently changed record | PEAR |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 01 |
| Runway Length | 7012 |
| Runway Width | 200 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |