# Incident 19940128005109I: Piper PA60600, Middletown, PA, January 28, 1994

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 28, 1994, 01:23 local time
- Place: Middletown, PA
- Airport: Harrisburg International Airport-Olmsted
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: BSYA
- Location: 40.2009° N, 76.7292° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Middletown, PA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2009&lon=-76.7292&mi=10
- Aircraft: N90349, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N90349) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Smith AEROSTAR 600 (registry code 8360602, https://openairdocs.org/model/smith-aerostar-600) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA60600
- Reported engine: LYC IO540K1J5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,779 total, 490 in this make and model, 275 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940128005109I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: THE PART 135 AIRCRAFT, A PIPER PA60-600 WAS ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN FROM AGC, ALLEGHENY, CO., PA TO PHL, PHILADELPHIA, PA IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 5000' MSL WHEN THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD BANG FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE PILOT SECURED THE RIGHT ENGINE AND COMPLETED THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST. THE PILOT THEN CONTACTED ATC AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. AN UNEVENTFUL INSTRUMENT APPROACH AND LANDING WAS MADE AT MDT IN FREEZING RAIN. EMERGENCY VEHICLES ACCOMPANIED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RAMP. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL AT MDT DISCOVERED THE RIGHT ENGINE TOP COWLING AND #3 ENGINE CYLINDER AND PISTON WERE MISSING FROM THE ENGINE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY FAA PERSONNEL REVEALED THE #3 CYLINDER BECAME LOOSE ON THE ENGINE DUE TO FATIGUE OF THE CYLINDER THRU STUDS. RECORDS INDICATED THE THRU STUDS HAD 10,242 HOURS TIME IN SERVICE. THRU STUDS ARE NOT LIFE LIMITED PARTS. A SERVICE DIFFICULTY REPORT WAS FILED. SUBMISSION OF THIS REPORT CLOSES THIS INCIDENT.

## Other reports on N90349 (3)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19880211012599I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19880211012599I), Feb 11, 1988: Piper PA60600 (N90349), Cincinnati, OH, Minor damage. Landing gear switch inadvertently actuated in PIC haste to clear aircraft off taxiway.
- [Incident 19860909081499I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19860909081499I), Sep 9, 1986: Piper PA60600 (N90349), Binghamton, NY, Minor damage. The left engine failed during cruise. The pilot landed the aircraft gear up beside runway. Broken connecting rod.
- [Incident 19850731045219I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19850731045219I), Jul 31, 1985: Piper PA60600 (N90349), Pittsburgh, PA, Minor damage. Pilot reached up to turn off radios and inadvertently hit gear knob. Nose gear retracted.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.