Piper PA32 N4592X accident near Bartow, Florida

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power after the separation of the No. 3 cylinder from the crankcase due to improper maintenance.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine began to run roughly. The No. 3 cylinder then separated from the airplane; the engine lost all power, and oil began to cover the windshield. The pilot flew via instruments and landed in a marsh; the right wing of the airplane separated after contacting a tree. Postaccident engine examination revealed impact marks on the engine crankcase where the No. 3 cylinder would have been secured. The marks were consistent with the cylinder impacting the case multiple times. The examination also revealed that several of the nuts on other cylinders were well below the required 50 ft-lbs of torque. The engine's most recent overhaul was completed about 12 years before the accident, and the engine had accrued about 366 hours since that overhaul; there was no record of cylinder removal or replacement since the engine overhaul. It is likely that undertorqued cylinder nuts allowed the cylinder to come loose and separate from the engine. The investigation could not determine if the undertorqued condition of the cylinder nuts was the result of an improper overhaul or possible improper undocumented maintenance after the overhaul.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA18LA265 for the full record.