Undetermined · NTSB CEN15LA360
NORTH AMERICAN T 28A — Las Cruces, NM
| Date | August 14, 2015 |
| Location | Las Cruces, NM |
| Aircraft | NORTH AMERICAN T 28A |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Standing-engine(s) not oper Preflight or dispatch event |
| Pilot age | 64 |
| Pilot total time | 6,185 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 322 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
Failure of the No. 6 cylinder connecting rod, due to improper rotation of the propeller during a previous hydraulic lock.
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Power plant-(general)-Failure - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action selection-Other/unknown - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - F
What happened
About 5 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost power and the pilot turned back toward the departure airport to make a forced landing. The airplane touched down about ½ mile short of the runway on uneven terrain, seriously injuring the pilot. The pilot was transported to a hospital via helicopter, but died four days later.
Examination of the engine revealed failure of the No. 6 cylinder connecting rod. The connecting rod was most likely initially damaged during ground operations when the propeller was improperly rotated when a cylinder was hydraulically locked. The investigation was not able to determine when the initial damage occurred.