The pilot reported that shortly after being cleared to land at Hammond Northshore Regional Airport (KHDC) in Louisiana, smoke filled the Beech K35’s cockpit and the oil pressure gauge indicated zero.
Unable to make it to the runway, he declared an emergency and turned toward a nearby interstate.
During the descent, the engine lost total power.
The airplane touched down between traffic, and as the airplane slowed, the right wing hit a truck.
The airplane swerved right, then left, and exited the pavement. It came to rest nose down against the median fence. The right wing sustained substantial damage.
An FAA inspector went on scene and observed oil along the bottom and right side of the airplane. The engine cowling was removed, and oil was noted inside the cowling and on the engine components near the oil filter. The oil filter safety wire was fractured and separated, allowing the oil filter to rotate freely when turned by hand. A portion of the safety wire remained attached to the oil filter. The remainder of the safety wire was lost in the high vegetation at the accident site.
The pilot reported that he conducted the airplane’s most recent oil and oil filter change about one year prior. He estimated that he had flown the airplane about 60 hours since the oil change. He further reported that he was not a mechanic, but he has done maintenance and oil changes on this airplane for a “very long time.”
When asked about safety wire and how to apply it, he said he was unaware of specific safety wire guidance, he “just installed it.”
A representative from Textron Aviation reported the aircraft manual does not contain safety wire procedures. It is considered a basic knowledge item for a mechanic.
In 2005, the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) released a fact sheet titled Safety Wire. It states, in part: “If you’re doing owner-performed maintenance, make sure that you know what you’re doing, and get a second set of eyes to look at your work after you’re done.”
Probable Cause: A complete loss of engine power due to oil starvation as a result of the oil filter safety wire fracturing and the oil filter becoming loose in flight for a reason that could not be determined given the evidence available during the investigation.
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This October 2021 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
A licensed pilot is authorized to perforce ” simple maintenance” but they must follow all proper procedures..
There are some great videos on YouTube on attaching the safety wire on the oil filter.
20 years of doing my own oil changes and can never remember a filter that wasn’t darn near impossible to get loose. Ok, maybe that’s a stretch. Still, it’s hard to imagine a filter just coming loose.
That’s my experience too. 15 years of changing oil about 2x a year and It was always taking a socket wrench and the 1 inch socket to get the old filter loose and off.!!
I suspect the the filter was not tightened and the safety wire ‘just came off’.
This is a shame. But it appears that the majority of the oil filter safety wire is present, with a closed loop at the free end. Doesn’t appear to be fractured. It just appears to be attached to nothing.
A Textron agent inspected this engine? I thought Bonanzas had TCM IO-470 engines installed. And one year and 60 hours ago the oil was changed? TCM says to change at 50 hours with a filter installed, or at 4-month intervals if the entire 50 hours isn’t flown. And if this filter was loose and not properly safetied, how did the engine operate for 60 hours with no oil leakage until NOW?
Sad but prudent end to a flying career. The piolet was blessed with no deaths on his ill-fated flight. I don’t think there is anything that can be done to prevent events like this. Combination of normal age-related functional deterioration and by-gosh-by-golly approach to mechanical maintenance is a match in the gas tank. Life is replete with such examples in all walks and paths, that’s just life in the human race. Alas.
Regards/J
What about the truck and passages ?
Per the report, 3 in the aircraft – no injuries. The pilot mentioned the 4 point harnesses ‘saved’ them.
So, this pilot doesn’t know how to attach a safety wire, but has been doing it ‘for years’. Maybe he hand tightened the filter without torquing it to spec., and botched adding the safety wire. ?
Auto oil filters seem to stay tight without a safety wire, but then aircraft engines do shake/vibrate a lot more.
In the end, he surrendered his pilot certificate, [ only 75 years old].