# Incident 19971029035569I: Piper PA24260, Hillsville, VA, October 29, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 29, 1997, 13:30 local time
- Place: Hillsville, VA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.7616° N, 80.7367° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Hillsville, VA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.7616&lon=-80.7367&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9288P, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9288P) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-260 (registry code 7102406, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-260) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24260
- Reported engine: LYC IO540D4A5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,990 total, 93 in this make and model, 93 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971029035569I

## Narrative

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

NARRATIVE: PILOT REPORTED ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE 5 MILES FROM HSK. HE PLACED MIXTURE CONTROL TO FULL RICH AND TURNED ON FUEL PUMP. TRIED ALL FOUR FUEL TANKS AND ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN ROUGH AND COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. SELECTED GEAR DOWN AND SELECTED FIELD. UPON ROLLOUT, RIGHT MAIN GEAR HIT GROUNDHOG HOLE AND ALL GEARS THEN COLLAPSED. A/C SLID TO A STOP IN APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET. INVESTIGATION FOUND INTERNAL ENGINE FAILURE TO BE CAUSE OF INCIDENT. NO PERSON WAS INJURED. MINOR DAMAGE WAS DONE TO AIRFRAME. ENGINE TEARDOWN INSPECTION REVEALED #2 CYLINDER CAM FOLLOWERS FAILED AND WERE THROWN AROUND ENGINE DESTROYING OTHER CAM FOLLOWERS. RESULTING IN NO VALVE ACTION ON #2 CYLINDER AND LIMITED ACTION ON #1, #3, AND #4 CYLINDERS. CONSIDER MATTER CLOSED.

## Other reports on N9288P (1)

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

- [Incident 19820522025299I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19820522025299I), May 22, 1982: Piper PA24260 (N9288P), Hammond, LA, Minor damage. Landing gear collapsed on landing. Inspection revealed circuit breaker popped on gear motor. Gear was not full down

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.

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