# Accident 20150404007919A: Piper PA-28R-200, Santa Maria, CA, April 4, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 4, 2015, 11:28 local time
- Place: Santa Maria, CA
- Airport: Santa Maria Pub/Capt G Allan H
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.9078° N, 120.5156° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.9078&lon=-120.5156&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5469T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5469T-2016-05-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28R-200 (registry code 7102811, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28r-200) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28R-200
- Reported engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR15LA141](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR15LA141) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150404007919A

## Narrative

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

ON APRIL 4, 2015, N5469T, A PIPER PA-28R-200, CRASHED IN A STRAWBERRY FIELD APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES EAST OF THE SANTA MARIA AIRPORT (KSMX). N5469T HAD JUST DEPARTED KSMX, HEADING EAST, WHEN THE ENGINE SEEMED TO LOSE POWER AS IT PASSED TROUGH 3,000 FEET IN ITS CLIMB OUT.

EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE CRANKCASE HAD SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE, BROKEN OUT SEVERAL AREAS NEAR THE NUMBER 2 CYLINDER LIFTER BODIES. THE DAMAGE APPEARS TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE FAILURE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR15LA141](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR15LA141), Apr 4, 2015: Piper PA 28R-200 (N5469T), Santa Maria, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The engine failure due to oil starvation, which resulted from the installation of an unapproved oil quick drain valve that subsequently led to the inadvertent draining of the oil when the nose…

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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