19950319004329A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-181 · Ann Arbor, MI · March 19, 1995

Date: March 19, 1995 · 15:02 local
Place: Ann Arbor, MI
Airport: Ann Arbor Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N4385M
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI95LA104
Reported as: Piper PA28181
Reported engine: Lycoming O360A1D
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0

N4385MRegistered now · Piper PA-28-181S/N 28-8590025 · Built 1984 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-181 Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Lost oil pressure shortly after takeoff. Shutdown. Nosed over landing. Oil drain valve open. Mechanic failed close. (-23) shortly after takeoff from the Ann Arbor, MI airport (arb), the engine lost oil pressure and started to seize up. The pilot executed a forced landing into a soft field. The nose gear broke off and dug into the ground, causing the aircraft to flip over on its back.

As the FAA filed it

LOST OIL PRESSURE SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. SHUTDOWN. NOSED OVER LANDING. OIL DRAIN VALVE OPEN. MECHANIC FAILED CLOSE. (-23) SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM THE ANN ARBOR, MI AIRPORT (ARB), THE ENGINE LOST OIL PRESSURE AND STARTED TO SEIZE UP. THE PILOT EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING INTO A SOFT FIELD. THE NOSE GEAR BROKE OFF AND DUG INTO THE GROUND, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO FLIP OVER ON ITS BACK.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI95LA104Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportAnn Arbor, MIthe failure of the mechanic to close the drain valve after changing oil, resulting in complete loss of engine oil. A factor was the soft terrain, which resulted in the nose wheel digging in and the airplane nosing over.Mar 19, 1995 · Substantial damage