Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Athol, Idaho 83801
Saturday, July 5, 2003 14:00 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
While in cruise flight, the pilot heard a loud clank, and then saw the oil filler door on the nose cowl pop open. Immediately thereafter, the engine lost a significant amount of power, and the windshield began to be covered with a film of oil. The pilot therefore elected to make an emergency landing on a nearby road, and although the initial touchdown was successful, the oil coated windshield made it impossible for the pilot to seeing where he was going. Ultimately the aircraft departed the side of the road and impacted a culvert, whereupon the nose wheel strut collapsed. It was ultimately determined that the number five connecting rod cap bolt failed in overload after its retaining nut backed off to a point where it was retained by only two threads. Further examination of the nut and cotter pin revealed that the cotter pin retaining the rod bolt nut had experienced fatigue crack propagation failure in two location. It was determined that both cracks initiated at locations were the insufficiently torqued connecting rod cap bolt nut had vibrated against the cotter pin surface.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The failure of one of the number five connecting rod cap bolts during cruise flight due to the associated number five rod cap bolt nut being insufficiently torqued at the last major overhaul. Factors include a culvert alongside the road where the pilot found it necessary to execute his emergency landing and the restriction of the pilot's forward vision due to a film of oil on the windshield.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/5/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1400 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | Athol |
| Event State | IDAHO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 83801 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 475404N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1164343W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| 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) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 29 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 240 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 3 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 16603 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 5 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1635 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 28 2004 10:11AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Spokane FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3367F |
| NTSB Number | SEA03LA129 |
| 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 | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 182J |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 18257367 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2800 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 19 2003 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 30 |
| Airframe Hours | 2300 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Thomas F. Howell |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Concord |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 94518 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Kenneth J. Elford |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Martinez |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 94553 |
| 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 | COE |
| Departure City | Coeur d' Alene |
| Departure State | ID |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1345 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | COE |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Aug 25 2004 2:31PM |
| User who most recently changed record | STAM |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |