Icon A5 N558BA accident near Levittown, Puerto Rico

Probable cause

An oil line separation at a barbed fitting in an experimental airplane, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.

NTSB analysis

As the amphibious airplane was approaching the destination airport, the engine lost oil pressure shortly before losing power completely. Unable to glide to the airport, the pilot elected to conduct a forced landing to a nearby bay. Due to the rough water conditions, the landing was hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and empennage.

Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that that the oil line that connected the oil pump housing to the oil cooler had separated from the oil cooler adapter at the barbed end of the B-nut assembly. The respective clamp, which was supposed to secure the oil line past the barbed fitting, was not recovered. It is possible that the clamp was not completely secured past the barbed fitting when the new, upgraded engine was installed onto the airplane about 1 year prior to the accident; however, the clamp could not be located after the accident, so the preseparation position and condition of the clamp could not be determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA26LA176 for the full record.