Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Walsh, Colorado 81090
Tuesady, October 27, 2009 14:00 MST

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

The airplane was in level cruise flight at 6,500 feet mean sea level when the pilot "detected a slight smoke smell." Oil pressure and oil temperature readings were normal, but he noticed the EGT (exhaust gas temperature) on one of the cylinders had dropped, followed shortly thereafter by the EGT decay of another cylinder. The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in an open field. Recent rains had softened the ground and when the nosewheel touched down, the airplane nosed over. An FAA airworthiness inspector who examined the engine said that the cylinder hold-down studs on the lower side of the number 2 cylinder had threads, but one stud had snapped off. Further examination of the engine revealed that the lower four nuts on the number two cylinder were not properly torqued, which allowed the lower side of the cylinder to move while the upper part remained fixed. A crack developed on the right side of the cylinder and propagated along the bottom lip to the left side of the cylinder, eventually reaching the point of failure. When the annual and 100-hour inspections were done on August 21, 2009, all 6 cylinders had been removed “due to low compression” and replaced with overhauled cylinders, new pistons and rings, and new gaskets and seals. Airframe total time was 3,797.79 hours, and the time since major engine overhaul was 1,239.82 hours. The tachometer read 2960.72. At the accident site, the tachometer read 3059.41 hours.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

A partial loss of engine power due to failure of the No. 2 cylinder as a result of the failure of the repair facility to properly torque the lower four nuts on the cylinder.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 10/27/2009
Event Day of the Week Tuesday
Time of Event 1400
Event Time Zone Mountain Standard Time
Event City Walsh
Event State COLORADO
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 81090
Event Date Year 2009
Event Date Month 10
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude 372052N
Event Location Longitude 1021528W
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 Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 1653 Mountain Daylight Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 125
Weather Observation Facility ID LAA
Elevation of weather observation facility 3704
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 63
Time Zone of the weather observation MDT
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) 9
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) 4
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 120
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) 29.35
Density Altitude (feet) --
Intensity of Precipitation --
METAR weather report METAR KLAA 272253Z AUTO 11004KT 10SM CLR 12/04 A29
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 --
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All 1
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 26743
NTSB Notification Source FAA ANM ROC
NTSB Notification Date --
NTSB Notification Time --
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information --
Date of most recent change to record Mar 25 2010 5:42PM
User who most recently changed record bowl
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N7464E
NTSB Number CEN10LA032
Missing Aircraft Indicator --
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed VFR
Flight plan Was Activated? Yes
Damage Substantial
Aircraft Fire None
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name CESSNA
Aircraft Model 210
Aircraft Series Identifier --
Aircraft Serial Number 57164
Certified Max Gross Weight 2900
Aircraft Category Airplane
Aircraft Registration Class --
Aircraft is a homebuilt? No
Flight Crew Seats 2
Cabin Crew Seats --
Passenger Seats 2
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 Aug 21 2009 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection --
Airframe Hours 3798
ELT Installed Yes
ELT Activated No
ELT Aided Location of Event Site Unknown
ELT Type Unknown
Aircraft Owner Name William L. Gold
Aircraft Owner Street Address 152 Andrews Rd.
Aircraft Owner City Sherburne
Aircraft Owner State NY
Aircraft Owner Country USA
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 134605126
Operator is an individual? No
Operator Name William L. Gold
Operator Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Street Address 152 Andrews Rd.
Operator City Sherburne
Operator State NY
Operator Country USA
Operator Zip code 134605126
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 No
Departure Airport Code ULS
Departure City Ulysses
Departure State KS
Departure Country USA
Departure Time 1300
Departure Time Zone CDT
Destination Same as Local Flt --
Destination Airport Code FMN
Destination City Farmington
Destination State NM
Destination Country USA
Specific Phase of Flight --
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Mar 11 2010 1:45PM
User who most recently changed record scoa
Since inspection or accident Last Inspection
Event Location Runway Number and Location N/A
Runway Length --
Runway Width --
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --