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20030916023199A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-140 · Collegedale, TN · September 16, 2003

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Date
September 16, 2003 · 14:20 local
Place
Collegedale, TN
Airport
Collegedale Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N2301T
Reported as
Piper PA28140
Reported engine
Continental IO360*
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
2,700 total40 in this make and model65 in the last 90 days
N2301TRegistered now · Piper PA-28-140S/N 28-7125545 · Built 1971Airframe modelPiper PA-28-140Engine 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.

(-23) Following an engine overhaul, the aircraft was ground run for testing for 1 hour. This flight was to monitor the operating and performance parameters in flight following the engine overhaul. The pilot reported that the oil quantity was at 6 quarts before engine start. Within 10 minutes of departure the engine began to lose power. At about 12 minutes of flight time the engine seized and would not even windmill. The pilot elected to land in a field rather than attempt to make the airport, by flying over a neighborhood from 3/4 mile distance to the runway. The aircraft landed hard in a rough pasture inflicting substantial damage. Upon recovery of the aircraft the aircraft displayed copious amounts of oil covering the entire belly of the aircraft. It was not possible to determine the manner in which the oil migrated from the engine to the bottom of the aircraft. The NTSB has possession of the aircraft and engine. They are planning to have a factory rep conduct an engine teardown inspection next to determine the cause of the engine seizure.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) FOLLOWING AN ENGINE OVERHAUL, THE AIRCRAFT WAS GROUND RUN FOR TESTING FOR 1 HOUR. THIS FLIGHT WAS TO MONITOR THE OPERATING AND PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS IN FLIGHT FOLLOWING THE ENGINE OVERHAUL. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE OIL QUANTITY WAS AT 6 QUARTS BEFORE ENGINE START. WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF DEPARTURE THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. AT ABOUT 12 MINUTES OF FLIGHT TIME THE ENGINE SEIZED AND WOULD NOT EVEN WINDMILL. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND IN A FIELD RATHER THAN ATTEMPT TO MAKE THE AIRPORT, BY FLYING OVER A NEIGHBORHOOD FROM 3/4 MILE DISTANCE TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD IN A ROUGH PASTURE INFLICTING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. UPON RECOVERY OF THE AIRCRAFT THE AIRCRAFT DISPLAYED COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF OIL COVERING THE ENTIRE BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT. IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE THE MANNER IN WHICH THE OIL MIGRATED FROM THE ENGINE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE NTSB HAS POSSESSION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE. THEY ARE PLANNING TO HAVE A FACTORY REP CONDUCT AN ENGINE TEARDOWN INSPECTION NEXT TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE SEIZURE.