The pilot of a beechcraft baron heard a loud bang and felt the plane shudder; observed oil from the ...

Attributes
ACN	1122254
Time
Date	201310
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Baron 55/Cochise
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Cruise
Route In Use	Direct
Flight Plan	None
Component
Aircraft Component	Engine
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 22 Flight Crew Total 5200 Flight Crew Type 80
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

Narrative:

While flying along at 4;500 ft in normal flight the right engine had a catastrophic failure. I only heard a loud bang and the plane shuddered one time. I reduced power and scanned the instruments for any signs of problems. Fuel; oil and alternators all showed good. RPM and manifold pressure were also ok. Then a large amount of oil spewed from the top of the right engine. I worried about oil catching fire from the exhaust and also running out of oil. I shut down the right engine and called the nearest tower for landing instructions. I made an uneventful single engine landing. I then inspected the engine to find the connecting rod cap sitting on the outside of the engine. It had come through the top of the engine case. Examination showed only one bolt bent and broken the other bolt missing. The bearing did not spin in the rod. This leads me to believe the bolt was not properly torqued. The engine has 1;400 hours since factory overhaul.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: The pilot of a Beechcraft Baron heard a loud bang and felt the plane shudder; observed oil from the top of the right engine; he then secured the engine and landed at a nearby airport.

Narrative: While flying along at 4;500 FT in normal flight the right engine had a catastrophic failure. I only heard a loud bang and the plane shuddered one time. I reduced power and scanned the instruments for any signs of problems. Fuel; oil and alternators all showed good. RPM and manifold pressure were also OK. Then a large amount of oil spewed from the top of the right engine. I worried about oil catching fire from the exhaust and also running out of oil. I shut down the right engine and called the nearest Tower for landing instructions. I made an uneventful single engine landing. I then inspected the engine to find the connecting rod cap sitting on the outside of the engine. It had come through the top of the engine case. Examination showed only one bolt bent and broken the other bolt missing. The bearing did not spin in the rod. This leads me to believe the bolt was not properly torqued. The engine has 1;400 hours since factory overhaul.

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.

The pilot of a beechcraft baron heard a loud bang and felt the plane shudder; observed oil from the top of the right engine; he then secured the engine and landed at a nearby airport.