June 13, 2009, Gilford, N.H., Cessna 177 RG

At about 1614 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing in a hotel parking lot shortly after takeoff. Visual conditions prevailed. The airline transport pilot-the aircrafts new owner-was fatally injured. The previous owner flew the airplane to the maintenance facility for a pre-purchase/annual inspection. All discrepancies were complied with and the airplanes airframe, propeller and engine logbook were signed off to be in an airworthy condition.

Monday, July 27, 2009 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

An airplane made a forced landing in a hotel parking lot shortly after takeoff, resulting in the fatal injury of the new owner/pilot and substantial damage to the aircraft, despite having recently been signed off as airworthy after an inspection.
Witnesses observed "no engine noise," "large quantities of fuel" coming from the wings, and smoke from the engine area during the accident sequence.
Post-crash examination revealed no rotational scoring on the propeller, only two ounces of oil in the engine, and a longitudinally fractured engine with no oil in the vicinity of the fracture, indicating a severe lubrication failure.

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The previous owner flew the airplane to the maintenance facility for a pre-purchase/annual inspection. All discrepancies were complied with and the airplanes airframe, propeller and engine logbook were signed off to be in an airworthy condition. Numerous witnesses reported there was “no engine noise” during the accident sequence Several witnesses reported seeing “large quantities of fuel” coming out of the wings and seeing smoke from the engine area. There was no rotational scoring on the propeller blades or the spinner. Approximately two ounces of oil were extracted from the engine. The engine was fractured along its entire longitudinal axis; however, there was no evidence of oil in the vicinity of the fracture.