20181014020069I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-180 · Wetumpka, AL · October 14, 2018

Date
October 14, 2018 · 18:15 local
Place
Wetumpka, AL
Airport
Wetumpka Municipal
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N2171T
Reported as
Piper PA-28-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot

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.

The pilot was in cruise flight at 2500 feet MSL when the engine began to run rough. The oil pressure remained green but the oil temperature began to rise. The pilot applied full power but was unable to maintain airspeed. The engine continued to run rough and shake so the pilot contacted montgomery approach to receive local traffic frequency for Wetumpka, AL and informed them of his intention to land at 08A. The pilot landed runway 27 and taxied off the runway and shutdown aircraft systems with no injuries reported. Post flight inspection revealed a 2 inch hole of an undetermined origin in the upper side of the engine case adjacent to the number 1 cylinder.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 2500 FEET MSL WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. THE OIL PRESSURE REMAINED GREEN BUT THE OIL TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO RISE. THE PILOT APPLIED FULL POWER BUT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN ROUGH AND SHAKE SO THE PILOT CONTACTED MONTGOMERY APPROACH TO RECEIVE LOCAL TRAFFIC FREQUENCY FOR WETUMPKA, AL AND INFORMED THEM OF HIS INTENTION TO LAND AT 08A. THE PILOT LANDED RUNWAY 27 AND TAXIED OFF THE RUNWAY AND SHUTDOWN AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS WITH NO INJURIES REPORTED. POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED A 2 INCH HOLE OF AN UNDETERMINED ORIGIN IN THE UPPER SIDE OF THE ENGINE CASE ADJACENT TO THE NUMBER 1 CYLINDER.