Cessna 140 accident near Lopez, WA
On January 18, 1994, a Cessna 140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lopez, WA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 18, 1994
- Place
- Lopez, WA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 48.490°N, 122.869°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001206X00679
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 18, 1994, at 1245 Pacific standard time (PST), a Cessna 140, N77190, ditched in the waters off of Lopez Island, Washington. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, received fatal injuries, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which was en route from Diamond Point Airstrip, Gardiner, Washington to Anacortes Airport, Anacortes, Washington, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation. According to friends of the owner/pilot, he had been at Diamond Point Airstrip in order to have a new muffler system installed on the aircraft. On the morning of the accident, while the work on the muffler system was being completed by a certified mechanic, the owner had changed the aircraft's oil and removed the oil screen for inspection. According to the mechanic who was working on the muffler, the owner was doing this work as owner maintenance, and the mechanic was not supervising the activity. The mechanic said that the owner inspected the screen, screwed it back into the accessory case, and safety wired the screen to the accessory case himself. Almost immediately after he had applied the safety wire, the owner saw that he had applied the wire to the screen nut incorrectly, and he brought his mistake to the attention of the mechanic for confirmation. The mechanic said that he confirmed the owner's error, told him to go ahead and rewire it correctly, and then reached down and felt the oil t
Probable cause
THE PILOT/OWNER'S IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE OIL TEMPERATURE SENSING BULB, THE TOTAL LOSS OF ALL ENGINE OIL, AND THE SHEARING OF A CONNECTING ROD CAP.
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Browse: Washington · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
