(Pilot) Noticed A Change In Engine Noise, With An Accompanying Vibration

Location: Loleta, CA   Accident Number: WPR24LA210
Date & Time: June 20, 2024, 10:40  Aircraft Registration: N141PB
Aircraft: LANCAIR COMPANY LC42-550FG   Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

The NTSB has put out a preliminary report regarding a recent incident involving a Lancair that incurred substantial damage following an engine failure. Luckily, the pilot in command was on the ball, and managed to shepherd the ailing aircraft through instrument conditions and back to the field in relative safety.

"On June 20, 2024, about 1040 Pacific daylight time, a Lancair LC42-550FG (Columbia 350), N141PB sustained substantial damaged when it was involved in an accident near Loleta, California. The pilot was not injured," the report reads. "The airplane had just departed Murray Field Airport, Eureka, California after receiving an instrument flight rules flight plan to Napa County Airport, Napa, California."

Unfortunately, an enjoyable cross-country flight in a nifty little Lancair went awry, right as the aircraft passed through a cloud layer at 1,500 ft. "As the airplane climbed through 2,300 ft, the pilot established communications with Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center. About one minute later he noticed a change in engine noise, with an accompanying vibration. The engine monitor indicated the cylinder head temperature for cylinder no. 6 was rising, and a short time later the engine lost all power and appeared to seize."

From there, the moment of truth was at hand, and the pilot pulled it off with admirable performance. "The pilot declared an emergency and was provided vectors back to the airport. While the airplane was turning toward the airport, it descended into the cloud layer. The airplane broke out into visual conditions about 700 ft MSL over coastal marshland. The pilot maneuvered the airplane toward the flattest looking area, and on touch down the airplane nosed over."

Unsurprisingly the NTSB is eager to figure out just what went wrong with N141PB. The Lancair LC42-550FG was first registered in 2006, making it a relatively late-model aircraft compared to a field full of 50+ year-old aircraft. Once they got to the aircraft, they noted that the entire underbelly of the engine was coated in oil, never a good sign. But, the remains of the aircraft should yield further information as the investigation continues. For the pilot, a good story and a gold star.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov