ERA23LA341 · Piper PA28 180

During a cross-country flight the pilot noticed the oil pressure decreased to zero. Seconds later, he noticed oil flowing up the windscreen and then the engine then lost total power. The pilot successfully landed the airplane in a field but, during the landing rollout, the right wing struck a metal pipe that was hidden in brush, separating it from the airplane. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed a portion of the engine crankcase above the No. 2 cylinder was fractured and separated from the engine. The crankshaft end of the No. 2 connecting rod was separated from the crankshaft’s No. 2 connecting rod journal. A review of the aircraft maintenance logbook revealed that the most recent annual inspection was completed 3.5 operating hours before the accident. The maintenance log entry documenting the annual inspection noted in part that the oil filter was replaced, and that the old oil filter was cut open and inspected, with no contamination noted. The most recent engine overhaul was completed almost 25 years before the date of the accident (the engine manufacturer recommended that the engine be overhauled within 12 calendar years of having entered service). Based on the available information, the loss of engine power was most likely the result of a deterioration of the engine’s internal mechanical components that had been occurring over the time since the engine was last overhauled. This ultimately resulted in the failure of the No. 2 connecting rod, and the total loss of engine power.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset