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Atlas / NTSB / FTW92LA056

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event FTW92LA056

1992-01-14 SPRING, Texas, United States None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PARTIAL POWER LOSS DUE TO CYLINDER FATIGUE AND RESULTANT ENGINE VIBRATIONS. FACTORS WERE THE OIL COVERED WINDSHIELD RESTRICTING THE PILOT'S VISION AND THE WET TERRAIN.

Factual narrative

AT 12,000 FEET AGL THE PILOT EXPERIENCED SEVERE ENGINE VIBRATIONS AND OIL WAS OBSERVED ESCAPING FROM THE ENGINE COWLING ONTO THE WINDSHIELD. ATC INITIALLY GAVE VECTORS FOR LANDING AT AN AIRPORT ABOUT 18 MILES AWAY. OIL ON THE WINDSHIELD OBSCURED VISIBILITY AND ENGINE VIBRATIONS WORSENED AND THE PILOT ELECTED TO PERFORM A FORCED LANDING OFF AIRPORT. DURING THE LANDING ROLL ON WET PLOWED TERRAIN THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. FOUR OF THE NUMBER TWO CYLINDER STUDS EXHIBITED MULTI-ORIGIN FATIGUE AT THE FRACTURE SURFACE DUE TO IMPROPER STRETCH OR TORQUE ON THE STUDS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1992_FTW92LA056.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.