19980101029289I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-140 · Hammond, LA · January 1, 1998

Date: January 1, 1998 · 16:00 local
Place: Hammond, LA
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N6732J
Reported as: Piper PA28140
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 206 total25 in this make and model27 in the last 90 days

N6732JRegistered now · Piper PA-28-140S/N 28-24443 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-140 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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.

Pilot performed preflight with no discrepancies noted. Aircraft is a rental and was flown 1.8 hours earlier in the day. After climb out and leveling out in cruise flight, pilot noted low oil pressure and normal oil temperature. Pilot initiated a turn to return to Hammond airport. Shortly afterwards, pilot noteded oil pressure dropped to zero. He notified Hammond airport of his situation and set up an approach to an open field. The engine quit on approach. On landing the nose gear sank into soft ground breaking off the nose wheel fork, damaging engine cowl and bending right main gear. There was no obvious sign of a loss of oil. We are awaiting mechanic availability to complete investigation.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT PERFORMED PREFLIGHT WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. AIRCRAFT IS A RENTAL AND WAS FLOWN 1.8 HOURS EARLIER IN THE DAY. AFTER CLIMB OUT AND LEVELING OUT IN CRUISE FLIGHT, PILOT NOTED LOW OIL PRESSURE AND NORMAL OIL TEMPERATURE. PILOT INITIATED A TURN TO RETURN TO HAMMOND AIRPORT. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, PILOT NOTEDED OIL PRESSURE DROPPED TO ZERO. HE NOTIFIED HAMMOND AIRPORT OF HIS SITUATION AND SET UP AN APPROACH TO AN OPEN FIELD. THE ENGINE QUIT ON APPROACH. ON LANDING THE NOSE GEAR SANK INTO SOFT GROUND BREAKING OFF THE NOSE WHEEL FORK, DAMAGING ENGINE COWL AND BENDING RIGHT MAIN GEAR. THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS SIGN OF A LOSS OF OIL. WE ARE AWAITING MECHANIC AVAILABILITY TO COMPLETE INVESTIGATION.