Honolulu International Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Honolulu, Hawaii 96819
Tuesady, January 20, 2009 15:49 HST

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noticed that oil began to spray onto the windshield, which limited his visibility to only what he could see out of the left and right side windows. The pilot informed air traffic control of the situation and made a 180-degree turn back towards the airport. While returning to the airport, the pilot felt a severe vibration from the engine and shortly thereafter, the engine lost power. Due to the oil on the windshield obstructing his vision, the pilot overshot the runway and landed in a grassy area on the airport. The nose landing gear separated and the airplane nosed down. Post-accident examination of the engine revealed a hole in the top of the engine case above the number 3 cylinder. The propeller governor oil line was found fractured at the "B" nut securing it to the front of the crankcase. Both of the line's securing clamps were found broken. Examination of the engine logbook revealed that the last 100-hour inspection was completed about 89 hours before the accident. Federal Aviation Regulations stipulate that during a 100-hour or annual inspection, all engine lines, hoses, and clamps are to be inspected for leaks, improper condition, and looseness. Two days prior to the accident, an oil leak was reported on the aircraft. A mechanic reported that he determined the source of the oil leak was probably the crankshaft seal. He changed the crankshaft seal and test ran the engine with no oil leaks noted. The accident flight was the first flight after this repair.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

An oil starvation induced catastrophic engine failure due to the fracture and separation of the propeller governor oil line, which was a result of inadequate inspection by maintenance personnel.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 1/20/2009
Event Day of the Week Tuesday
Time of Event 1549
Event Time Zone Hawaii Standard Time
Event City Honolulu
Event State HAWAII
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 96819
Event Date Year 2009
Event Date Month 1
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude 211907N
Event Location Longitude 1575520W
Event Location Airport Honolulu International Airport
Event Location Nearest Airport ID HNL
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport On Airport
Distance from airport in statute miles --
Degrees magnetic from airport --
Airport Elevation 13
Weather Briefing Completeness --
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 1617 Hawaii Standard Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) --
Weather Observation Facility ID HNL
Elevation of weather observation facility 13
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) --
Time Zone of the weather observation HST
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height --
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height 3500
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions Few
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) 24
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) 13
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 350
Variable Wind Indicator Wind direction could be determined
Wind Speed (knots) 15
Wind Velocity Indicator --
Wind Gust Indicator Gusting
Wind Gust (knots) 22
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) 30.05
Density Altitude (feet) --
Intensity of Precipitation --
METAR weather report --
Event Highest Injury Minor
On Ground, Fatal Injuries --
On Ground, Minor Injuries --
On Ground, Serious Injuries --
Injury Total Fatal --
Injury Total Minor 1
Injury Total None 1
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All 1
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 25976
NTSB Notification Source FAA Operations Center
NTSB Notification Date --
NTSB Notification Time --
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information --
Date of most recent change to record Aug 31 2009 6:24PM
User who most recently changed record coos
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N30740
NTSB Number WPR09LA097
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 177B
Aircraft Series Identifier --
Aircraft Serial Number 17701434
Certified Max Gross Weight 2500
Aircraft Category Airplane
Aircraft Registration Class --
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 100 Hour
Date of Last Inspection Nov 13 2008 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection 89
Airframe Hours 3580
ELT Installed Yes
ELT Activated No
ELT Aided Location of Event Site No
ELT Type Unknown
Aircraft Owner Name Benjamin J. Fulk
Aircraft Owner Street Address --
Aircraft Owner City Honolulu
Aircraft Owner State HI
Aircraft Owner Country USA
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 96815
Operator is an individual? No
Operator Name Moore Air
Operator Same as Owner? No
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? No
Operator Street Address 90 Nakolo Place, Suite 24
Operator City Honolulu
Operator State HI
Operator Country USA
Operator Zip code 96819
Operator Code --
Owner has at least one certificate None
Other Operator of large aircraft? No
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 HNL
Departure City Honolulu
Departure State HI
Departure Country USA
Departure Time 1549
Departure Time Zone HST
Destination Same as Local Flt --
Destination Airport Code PHJR
Destination City Kapolei
Destination State HI
Destination Country USA
Specific Phase of Flight --
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Aug 31 2009 6:24PM
User who most recently changed record coos
Since inspection or accident Last Inspection
Event Location Runway Number and Location 08L
Runway Length 12300
Runway Width 150
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --