19961028043189I

Incident

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28R-201T · Harlingen, TX · October 28, 1996

Date
October 28, 1996 · 17:30 local
Place
Harlingen, TX
Airport
Rio Grande Valley International Airport
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N6163H
Reported as
Piper PA28R201T
Reported engine
Continental TSIO360FB
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,400 total50 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

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.

Narrative: flight departed mfe for local flight to determine condition of newly installed engine. Tests were performed and completed satisfactorily and flight proceeded to area south and east of hrl. Engine appeared to suffer some type of mechanical failure. Aircraft was vectored to a safe landing at hrl. Maintenance inspected engine and determined that camshaft had failed. Removal of the propeller governor indicated some binding and difficulty in rotating drive shaft. Unit returned to shop for disassembly and inspection where it was determined that a bearing had failed possibly resulting in the loading and subsequent failure of the camshaft. There were no injuries and no fire. This incident is considered closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: FLIGHT DEPARTED MFE FOR LOCAL FLIGHT TO DETERMINE CONDITION OF NEWLY INSTALLED ENGINE. TESTS WERE PERFORMED AND COMPLETED SATISFACTORILY AND FLIGHT PROCEEDED TO AREA SOUTH AND EAST OF HRL. ENGINE APPEARED TO SUFFER SOME TYPE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE. AIRCRAFT WAS VECTORED TO A SAFE LANDING AT HRL. MAINTENANCE INSPECTED ENGINE AND DETERMINED THAT CAMSHAFT HAD FAILED. REMOVAL OF THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR INDICATED SOME BINDING AND DIFFICULTY IN ROTATING DRIVE SHAFT. UNIT RETURNED TO SHOP FOR DISASSEMBLY AND INSPECTION WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A BEARING HAD FAILED POSSIBLY RESULTING IN THE LOADING AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE CAMSHAFT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND NO FIRE. THIS INCIDENT IS CONSIDERED CLOSED.