Mechanical & Engine Failure · NTSB ERA16FA127
SHEAHEN DANE E RV-8 — Clermont, FL
| Date | March 12, 2016 |
| Location | Clermont, FL |
| Aircraft | SHEAHEN DANE E RV-8 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute Loss of engine power (total) |
| Pilot age | 63 |
| Pilot total time | 880 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 20 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-Recip engine power section-Failure - F
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The private pilot was in cruise flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane. The pilot transmitted a mayday call via radio, stating that he had "lost an engine." Witnesses saw the airplane before impact and stated that the airplane was not making any sound. One witness saw the airplane enter a sharp turn before entering a nose-low descent. The airplane then impacted an open field; the sharp turn followed by the nose-low descent is consistent with an aerodynamic stall.
Examination of the experimental, kit-built engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured forward of the No. 2 connecting rod journal. Further testing of the crankshaft revealed that the fracture was the result of fatigue cracking. There were no chemical variations or foreign material present in the metallurgical testing. The crankshaft only had 20 hours total time in service, suggesting that initiation of the cracking and the subsequent failure of the crankshaft was almost immediate. As there were no apparent metallurgical mechanical deficiencies with the crankshaft, the fatigue failure was likely the result of unusual stresses; however, there was insufficient information about the engine operation in the final 17 minutes of flight to determine the reason for the failure.
Although the pilot's toxicology results tested positive for Zolpidem, a prescription medication for the treatment of insomnia, the values were below the normal therapeutic range and there was no evidence that impairment contributed to the accident.