20030804019539I

Incident

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-181 · Greeley, CO · August 4, 2003

Date
August 4, 2003 · 10:30 local
Place
Greeley, CO
Airport
Greeley-Weld County Airport
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N6271J
Reported as
Piper PA28181
Reported engine
Lycoming O360*
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
200 total120 in this make and model5 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.

(-23) Aircraft departed (bjc) broomfield, CO. Enroute to sidney, NE. While at cruise near (gxy) Greeley, CO. The pilot began experiencing severe vibrations. Oil temperature was normal but instrumentation indicated no oil pressure. The pilot then headed directly to gxy and received a clearance for a direct approach to runway 27. While on approach the engine quit. The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in an alfalfa field short of the runway. The landing was accomplished without injuries or damage to the aircraft. The aircraft was retrieved by beegles airport. There were two obvious holes in the engine case adjacent to cylinder #4.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT DEPARTED (BJC) BROOMFIELD, CO. ENROUTE TO SIDNEY, NE. WHILE AT CRUISE NEAR (GXY) GREELEY, CO. THE PILOT BEGAN EXPERIENCING SEVERE VIBRATIONS. OIL TEMPERATURE WAS NORMAL BUT INSTRUMENTATION INDICATED NO OIL PRESSURE. THE PILOT THEN HEADED DIRECTLY TO GXY AND RECEIVED A CLEARANCE FOR A DIRECT APPROACH TO RUNWAY 27. WHILE ON APPROACH THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN AN ALFALFA FIELD SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETRIEVED BY BEEGLES AIRPORT. THERE WERE TWO OBVIOUS HOLES IN THE ENGINE CASE ADJACENT TO CYLINDER #4.