PIPER PA-28-181

Full Narrative

On March 12, 2025, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, N3055B, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hollywood, Florida. The flight instructor was not injured, and the student pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
During the initial climb after takeoff, the engine lost power, and the flight instructor performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane struck a tree. The airplane came to rest upright, and no postaccident fire occurred. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the right outboard wing was buckled and crushed.
Detailed examination of the engine revealed that the main bearings exhibited circumferential scoring, wear through the Babbitt layer, exposed copper, and localized material loss. All journals on the crankshaft had a mostly reflective gray color and did not show evidence of substantial heat damage. The crankshaft’s No 3. main journal had some circumferential gouges and light scoring damage, and the No. 4 journal had light circumferential scoring damage and isolated areas of rub marks. The remaining journals were relatively free of damage. A fatigue fracture was identified through the crankshaft cheek adjacent to the No. 3 main journal, originating at the journal surface near the oil supply hole for the No. 3 connecting rod journal. Multiple secondary cracks were observed emanating from oil supply holes in the No. 3 main journal. Metallurgical examination revealed oxidation and overstress at the crack origin, followed by fatigue crack propagation. No material defects were identified.
Although the crankshaft’s No. 3 main journal surface showed scoring damage, the journal surface did not show evidence of high heating associated with bearing failure. However, heat tinting was observed on the interior surface of the No 3. connecting rod oil supply hole. Near the No. 3 main bearing journal surface, the hole bore was tinted dark gray, and deeper into the bore, the hole was tinted shades of blue and red.
Additional details of the metallurgical examination can be found in the Material Laboratory Factual Report, in the public docket for this investigation.
A review of the engine logbook records revealed that the engine was overhauled in April 2023 at a tachometer time of 2,413.1 hours. During the overhaul, the crankshaft underwent and passed a non-destructive magnetic particle inspection. The most recent annual inspection was recorded at a tachometer time of 4,787.1 hours. According to Lycoming Engines Service Instruction No. 1009BE, the recommended time between overhaul (TBO) for the IO-390-A, -C, and -D engine models was 2,000 hours. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated approximately 2,374 hours since the last overhaul.