Bellanca 17-30A accident near Monroe, Georgia, September 14, 2014

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

During the approach at night, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power, and the pilot performed a forced landing into trees. Subsequent examination of the engine revealed that the oil filter adapter was loose and that it was installed incorrectly with two copper crush gaskets rather than with one copper crush gasket and one fiber gasket per the manufacturer's installation instructions. The fiber gasket would have held the required torque for the fitting; however, the copper crush gasket did not hold the required torque. Because the oil filter adapter was loose, oil leaked from the engine, which led to the failure of the Nos. 4 and 5 connecting rods due to a lack of oil lubrication. The oil filter adapter was not original equipment on the engine. Although it could be installed under a supplemental type certificate, a review of maintenance and aircraft records did not reveal any entry or record pertaining to the installation of the oil filter adapter. The airplane had been operated for about 70 hours since its most recent annual inspection, which was performed about 1 year before the accident. It could not be determined when the oil filter adapter was incorrectly installed. Although the pilot stated that he had fueled the airplane with 100 low-lead aviation gasoline, automobile gasoline was recovered from the fuel tanks. The higher-compression ratio engine was not designed or approved to operate on automobile gasoline, and engine examinations revealed that it had been operating at higher temperatures due to the use of automobile gasoline. If the engine had not failed due to oil starvation, it is likely that it would have soon begun to detonate due to the use of the improper fuel.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.