Event ERA23LA034

Factual narrative

On October 22, 2022, at 1420 eastern daylight time, a Cessna A185E, N36ZN, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near York, Pennsylvania. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he purchased the airplane a few days before the accident flight and was flying it back to Cottonwood Farm Airport (87VA), Crozet, Virginia. He took off from Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport (LEW), Auburn/Lewiston, Maine, and flew to Kingston-Ulster Airport (20N), Kingston, New York, for fuel. He stated that he topped off the fuel tanks and checked the oil before departing 20N. About 1 hour into the flight, the engine started running rough, and he noticed a drop in oil pressure. He then heard “clanking” in the engine, and it lost total power. He diverted to York Airport (THV), York, Pennsylvania, but landed short of the runway, in a field, and the airplane slid into the airport perimeter fence. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The left main landing gear separated, and the right main landing gear was bent aft 90°. Examination of the engine by an airframe and powerplant mechanic revealed that the engine oil indicated 2 quarts on the engine dipstick (the engine held 12 quarts of oil). There were small oil leaks around all cylinder push rod housings, with the leak around the No. 1 cylinder housing being the worst. All the spark plugs were dark, indicating oil burn. The No. 1 connecting rod was fractured off the crankshaft. The No. 1 crankshaft journal was black and discolored. No other anomalies were noted. The most recent annual inspection was completed on August 25, 2022. The pilot had just purchased the airplane and was flying it to his home airport. He made a stop, added fuel, checked the oil, and continued to his home airport. About an hour after departure, he noticed a drop in oil pressure and then heard a clanking sound in the engine before it lost total power. He diverted to the nearest airport but landed short of the runway in a field. The airplane slid into the airport perimeter fence, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that it contained only 2 quarts of oil out of a total capacity of 12 quarts. There were oil leaks around all the cylinder pushrod housings, with the leak around the No. 1 cylinder being the worst. All spark plugs were dark, indicating oil burn. The No. 1 connecting rod was fractured and separated from the crankshaft, and the connecting rod bearings were destroyed. Heat distress signatures were found on the crankshaft connecting rod location and the No. 1 connecting rod bearings displayed significant scoring consistent with a lack of oil lubrication. Based on this information, it is likely the loss of engine power was the result of oil starvation to the connecting rod bearings. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Oil-Fluid level
• — Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-Recip eng cyl section-Failure