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Cessna 340 pilot shutdown the left engine in-flight after a loud sound was hear followed by violent shaking. Post flight revealed the number two cylinder was split in half.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1063516 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201301 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | Cessna 340/340A |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Descent |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Cylinder Head |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Commercial |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 75 Flight Crew Total 1350 Flight Crew Type 225 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
I was descending on an IFR flight plan to 4;000 ft MSL while enroute to destination. Approaching 4;000 ft MSL; the left engine made a very loud sound and shook pretty violently. I immediately began to diagnose the problem by turning the emergency fuel pump to high; which helped the engine run smoother; but did not fix the problem. During this I informed ATC that I was having issues with the left engine; but did not need any assistance at the time. I continued to test the fuel pump and monitor the engine gauges; all of which appeared normal. I requested direct to destination because they had vectored me slightly to the north for traffic. They allowed this and told me to descend to 3;000 ft MSL and contact approach control. I contacted approach and let them know of my situation; and within a minute or so of contacting them I made the decision to shut down the left engine and feather it because it wasn't getting any better. I believe that it was about 3-5 minutes between the first noise and when I actually began to shut the engine down. Since I shut the engine down; I let ATC know and then had to declare and emergency. They were great and I really didn't need any extra help from them. The airplane was maintaining altitude well and the engine feathered just fine. I flew the rest of the way single engine and landed; and when I was able taxied off the runway and had a tug pull me the rest of the way in. After landing; I called clearance and informed them I was down and just fine; and they closed my flight plan. The only real deviation that occurred during the emergency was that I deviated from 4;000 ft MSL by about 200 ft high for maybe 20-30 seconds and the descent down to 3;000 ft MSL was very slow. After I got pulled in the hanger the mechanic pulled off the cowl and discovered that my number two cylinder on the left engine had split straight in half; luckily above the piston so the piston remained seated.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Cessna 340 pilot shutdown the left engine in-flight after a loud sound was hear followed by violent shaking. Post flight revealed the number two cylinder was split in half.
Narrative: I was descending on an IFR flight plan to 4;000 FT MSL while enroute to destination. Approaching 4;000 FT MSL; the left engine made a very loud sound and shook pretty violently. I immediately began to diagnose the problem by turning the emergency fuel pump to high; which helped the engine run smoother; but did not fix the problem. During this I informed ATC that I was having issues with the left engine; but did not need any assistance at the time. I continued to test the fuel pump and monitor the engine gauges; all of which appeared normal. I requested direct to destination because they had vectored me slightly to the north for traffic. They allowed this and told me to descend to 3;000 FT MSL and contact Approach Control. I contacted Approach and let them know of my situation; and within a minute or so of contacting them I made the decision to shut down the left engine and feather it because it wasn't getting any better. I believe that it was about 3-5 minutes between the first noise and when I actually began to shut the engine down. Since I shut the engine down; I let ATC know and then had to declare and emergency. They were great and I really didn't need any extra help from them. The airplane was maintaining altitude well and the engine feathered just fine. I flew the rest of the way single engine and landed; and when I was able taxied off the runway and had a tug pull me the rest of the way in. After landing; I called Clearance and informed them I was down and just fine; and they closed my flight plan. The only real deviation that occurred during the emergency was that I deviated from 4;000 FT MSL by about 200 FT high for maybe 20-30 seconds and the descent down to 3;000 FT MSL was very slow. After I got pulled in the hanger the mechanic pulled off the cowl and discovered that my number two cylinder on the left engine had split straight in half; luckily above the piston so the piston remained seated.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.