Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Blanchard, Idaho 83804
Saturday, September 6, 2003 13:40 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot reported that while climbing there was a loud bang and simultaneously a spray of oil across the front windscreen. Several seconds later smoke began to develop within the cockpit and the pilot secured the engine and executed an off airport landing. The aircraft encountered rough, deeply furrowed terrain on rollout during which the landing gear collapsed. Post crash examination of the aircraft's engine revealed that the three-quarter inch hex head plug at the front of the engine, which retains the propeller governor idler gear shaft, had backed out of its threaded insert. The plug, which was found in the bottom of the engine had no safety wire attached and no safety wire was observed on the tie down point on the engine. The propeller governor idler gear shaft setscrew was loose and the gear shaft itself was missing. With the hex head plug and propeller governor idler gear shaft released, engine oil, under pressure could exit the engine. The engine had been overhauled 248.2 hours prior to the accident and then subsequently repaired for a propeller strike. It could not be determined whether any action related to the safety wiring of the hex plug or any adjustment to the set screw had been conducted at the overhaul or prop strike repair.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The loss of engine oil as a result of the inadequate installation of the idler gear shaft set screw and the lack of a safety wire on the hex head (oil) plug. A contributing factor was the rough and uneven terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/6/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1340 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | Blanchard |
| Event State | IDAHO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 83804 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 480023N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1165628W |
| 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 | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1335 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 142 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | COE |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 2318 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 13 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| 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) | 32 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 3 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 140 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.89 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 15590 |
| NTSB Notification Source | SEA FAA ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 6 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1428 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jun 3 2004 1:28PM |
| 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 | N6368R |
| NTSB Number | SEA03LA187 |
| 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 | 172RG |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 172RG0171 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2650 |
| 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 | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 17 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 79 |
| Airframe Hours | 5300 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Heart Truss & Eng Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Green Acres |
| Aircraft Owner State | WA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 99016 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Pierce, David A. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| 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 | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | SFF |
| Departure City | Spokane |
| Departure State | WA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1315 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | 65S |
| Destination City | Bonners Ferry |
| Destination State | ID |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 25 2004 2:43PM |
| User who most recently changed record | STAM |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |