N322DBeech S35 · 1965

On November 25, 2012, at 1542 central standard time, N322D, a Beechcraft BE-35, made a forced landing to a field in De Ridder, Louisiana, after a total loss of engine power. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at the Shreveport Downtown Airport (DTN), Shreveport, Louisiana, approximately 1445, and destined for Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH), Lakes Charles, Louisiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross country flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot said he was cruising at an altitude of 5,500 feet when he noticed an "odd" sound coming from the engine. He felt that a catastrophic engine failure was imminent so he made a 180 degree turn toward the Beauregard Regional Airport (DRI), De Ridder, Louisiana. The pilot attempted to "smooth out" the engine to no avail. He then noticed oil on the windscreen and smoke in the cockpit. The pilot made a gear down landing in a field. Prior to touchdown, the pilot pushed the nose of the airplane over to avoid a stall. The airplane landed hard in the field and sustained substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, wings, and tail section. An on-scene examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed a 3-inch-wide hole in the top of the engine crankcase and the cap for the oil gauge rod (dipstick) was found several feet away from the main wreckage. According to the company that salvaged the airplane, the bottom of the airplane was coated with oil and oil drained from the airplane for several days after it was recovered.

The engine was examined on January 30, 2013, under the supervision of a National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator. Examination of the engine revealed damage consistent with oil starvation. The #5 connecting rod had released from the crankshaft and the #6 piston was damaged. The piston was fractured across the face of the piston and the piston pin bore was fractured away from the back side of the piston. A large hole was observed in the crankcase above the #5 cylinder. Examination of the engine assembly did not reveal any blocked or restricted oil ports/gallies or slipped/elongated bearings. The main bearing support mating surfaces were intact and exhibited no signs of fretting or bearing tang-slot elongation.

The engine accessories were removed and either tested or disassembled, including the oil pump and filter. The oil filter element was contaminated with metal flakes and a large amount of metal debris was found in the oil sump. No mechanical issues were identifed with any of the accessories.

Examination of the cap for the oil dipstick revealed it was severley corroded and the lock-tangs used to secure it to the oil filler tube were missing.

The airplane's last annual inspection was performed on November 1, 2011, at a total airframe time of 4,797.4 hours.