Failure of Piston Aircraft Engines

While piston engines have served many aircraft faithfully over the past century, they still have their fair share of possible failures and part issues. As is with all engines, piston engine components may eventually lose their integrity or functionality with prolonged use, leading to a loss in engine performance or a failure. As such, it is important to always be on top of maintenance endeavors with regular inspections conducted on set intervals. Additionally, having an understanding of the most common parts that fail and why they do can be very beneficial for any owner or operator.

With all of the various parts that make up a typical piston aircraft engine, the most critical issues can stem from the failure of the aircraft crankshaft. As the component that converts reciprocating motion into rotational motion, the failure of the aircraft crankshaft will result in an inoperable engine. While crankshafts often have long service lives that can extend upwards of 14,000 service hours, they can still fail due to oil starvation, bearing failure, unreported prop strikes, and infant-mortality caused by faulty production. As such, mechanics have learned to be more mindful of the crankshaft during aircraft maintenance, allowing them to know when there is a need for repair or replacement.

As the housing for the crankshaft, the aircraft crankcase is also another component that is typically not replaced during major overhauls due to its long service life. Instead, such sections are repaired as needed, and they may be aligned-bored to fix fits and limits. As cracks and damages can occur but develop very slowly, the aircraft crankcase may be inspected with longer periods between intervals without risking a hazard.

With the connecting rods of the engine, the piston is directly attached to the crankshaft for motion. Due to this important role in aircraft engine functionality, the failure of a connecting rod can easily result in an aircraft engine failure. Rod failures are important to fix as soon as possible when they occur, as they can damage the crankcase and cause a loss of engine oil. Similar to some other engine parts, the connecting rods are most often replaced on an as-needed basis.

Camshaft lobes and lifters are another area that is at risk of failure, due to the fact that they must withstand the highest amounts of pressure and friction within the system. As such, corrosion, spalling, and other issues can quickly cause damage. Despite this, issues with camshaft gears, lobes, and similar components often do not lead to outright failure of the whole engine, and can be replaced or repaired.

While oil and the oil pump are useful for many operations of the aircraft, the oil pump is not often the culprit of an engine failure. Rather, oil pumps are fairly steadfast in their operation as long as they can maintain pressure and continue to remove foreign debris with an oil filter. Sometimes, sediment or contaminates can cause abrasion and damage to the pump itself, but will often not result in performance issues. If there is damage to the oil pump that requires replacement, such a procedure can be done without the need to disassemble the entire aircraft engine.

Alongside such components, maintaining the integrity of magnetos, rocker arms, valves, cylinders, and other engine aircraft parts can help deter the risk of a failure. When you are in need of highly reliable aircraft components for maintenance, repair, and overhaul, Veritable Aerospace is your sourcing solution. As a premier online distributor of parts, we provide customers access to an expansive inventory consisting of over 2 billion new, used, and obsolete components that have been sourced from top global manufacturers. Get started with a personalized quote on the parts that you are interested in within 15 minutes or less when you fill out and submit an Instant RFQ form today.