HARRISBURG, PA, USA
N6994Y
Piper PA-23-250
The pilot stated that his preflight inspection, start, taxi and pre-takeoff checks were all normal. After takeoff, at approximately 150 feet, the right engine seized immediately. The pilot was unable to turn the airplane safely and return to the airport to land, so concentrated on maintaining directional control. With rising terrain to the left and a populated area with a river to the right, the pilot selected to turn into the dead engine. Once over the river, he noticed a dam in one direction and knew he did not have the climb capability to fly over it. He turned the opposite direction only to notice high tension wires strung across the river. He knew he could not gain altitude to fly over the wires and did not think he could get underneath them. He made another steep turn to remain over the river and to avoid the high tension wires and in so doing, lost his remaining altitude and accepted a water landing. Just prior to water impact, the pilot leveled the wings and pulled the nose of the airplane up to lessen the impact forces. Eamination of the wreckage showed that the landing gear where down and the pilot stated that he could not recall raising the landing gear.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 7, 1996 at 1340 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-23-250, N6994Y, lost power in the right engine shortly after takeoff from Capitol City Airport, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and made an emergency landing in the Susquehanna River. The private pilot and two passengers received minor injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at approximately 1337 eastern standard time with a destination of Knoxville, Tennessee. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot stated that he stopped at Capitol City Airport to refuel after departing from Knox County Regional Airport in Rockland, Maine at approximately 1000 eastern standard time. The pilot stated that he had no problems during the flight to Capitol City Airport. The pilot stated that the airplane was topped off with 91 gallons of 100 octane low lead aviation fuel. This amount brought the tanks to full capacity of 144 gallons. The pilot stated that the left engine was serviced with two quarts of oil and the right with one quart. The pilot stated that he performed all preflight checks, engine(s) startup and pre-takeoff run up of both engines, checking oil temperature, pressure, magneto's, and propeller feathering without any noteworthy discrepancies. The pilot wrote that he was cleared for takeoff on runway 26 and that the takeoff roll went normally with liftoff at approximately 85-90 MPH. The pilot wrote that at approximately 150 feet above the runway, "the plane yawed and the right engine was noted to have abruptly ceased running, with the prop in a near vertical position." The pilot stated that there had been no unusual noises prior to the engine seizing, and no oil leakage seen prior to or subsequent to the stoppage. The pilot did note however, that he could recall, "about at liftoff, the right engine seemed to surge as if the props were asynchronous." The pilot stated that "a minor pitch adjustment smoothed this momentarily." The pilot stated that after the engine failure, he did not have the altitude to turn back to the runway, and to fly the runway heading was impossible due to rising terrain and a busy highway. The pilot stated that from that point on, until impact, he was consumed with avoiding going below Vmc (minimum control speed with the critical engine inoperative) airspeed in order to maintain directional control, and attempting to gain altitude. The pilot stated that he felt very fortunate to reach the river and that he still had some hope of gaining altitude if he could remain over the river. The pilot stated that to his left was a dam, and he knew that he could not gain sufficient altitude to fly over it. He stated that he felt forced to turn right into the dead engine. Once in the turn, the pilot stated that he observed high tension power lines crossing the river, and knew that he could not gain altitude to go over them and felt that he could not make it under them. The pilot stated that in order to avoid the high tension wires, he made a left turn at about 30 degrees angle of bank, which resulted in losing the last of his altitude and he accepted a water landing. The pilot stated that he was able to level the wings and pull the nose up before impact. All three occupants were able to exit through the cabin door and stand on the submerged wing until being picked up by a fishing boat. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane came to rest in approximately four feet of water and remained in an upright position. The FAA Inspector who arrived on scene noted that the landing gear were in the down position, the right propeller lever was in the feather position and the left propeller lever was not in the feather position. The FAA Inspector wrote that other cockpit recordings could not be made due to the depth of the water inside of the airplane. On July 8th, 1996 the airplane was lifted by helicopter out of the river and taken to Capital City Airport and placed on a bed of tires. The next day, the FAA Inspector gave the wreckage a thorough inspection. At this time, the landing gear was confirmed in the down position and a crack was found on the right engine crankcase, aft of the thru-bolt, on the right hand side of the engine. At this time, it was determined that the engine would be removed from the rest of the wreckage and shipped to Textron Lycoming for teardown. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airframe and engine logbooks were inspected by the FAA. The airplane was kept in an airworthy condition in accordance with all pertinent Federal Aviation Regulations. The only discrepancy noted was that the ELT inspection had expired. During this inspection of the logbooks, it was found that the right engine was overhauled in August, 1987, and had accumulated 322 hours since the overhaul. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) taken at the Capital City Airport at 1345 eastern standard time was recorded as: Winds- 260 degrees magnetic at 12 knots; Visibility- 6 statute miles; Cloud amount and height- Broken layer at 20, 000 feet; Temperature- 31C (86 degrees Fahrenheit); Dewpoint-18 C (63 degrees Fahrenheit). TEST AND RESEARCH The engine was disassembled on August 8, 1996 at Textron Lycoming in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Preliminary inspection of the engine revealed a crack in the crankcase aft of the #5 cylinder, above the lower anchor thru-bolt. A closer look revealed another crack at the top of the left crankcase half, forward of the accessory housing. The engine was disassembled by removing the parts in as large an assembly as possible. Once the cylinders were removed, it was apparent that the crankshaft was fractured. The crankshaft broke at the rear of the #5 connecting rod journal through the crankshaft cheek. The camshaft was broken approximately four inches from the rear of the camshaft and appeared to be the result of the crankshaft failure. The engine did not show any indication of oil starvation. The crankshaft was submitted to the Textron Lycoming Materials Laboratory for further investigation. The investigation results from the Materials Laboratory concluded that the crankshaft fractured in fatigue at the connecting rod thrust surface adjacent to the rear fillet radius of No. 5 crankpin journal. The fatigue appeared to be the result from very distinctive radial heat cracks found during a magnetic particle inspection of the crankshaft. The origin of the heat cracks is unknown. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION On July 12, 1996, all of the wreckage except the right engine and attached accessories were returned to the owner of the airplane. The right engine and accessories were returned to the owner or his designated representative after the disassembly of the engine and final examination of the broken crankshaft.
Failure of the right engine due to a fatigue fracture of the crankshaft resultant from heat cracks from an undetermined source.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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