20190609006359I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-25-260 · Robbinsville, NJ · June 9, 2019

Date: June 9, 2019 · 10:30 local
Place: Robbinsville, NJ
Airport: Trenton Robbinsville Airport
Phase of flight: Unknown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N9573P
Reported as: Piper PA-25-260
Reported engine: Lycoming O-540 G1A5
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0

N9573PRegistered now · Piper PA-25-260S/N 25-7405683 · Built 1974 Airframe modelPiper PA-25-260 Engine modelLycoming 0-540 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.

Aircraft took off for a banner tow mission from Trenton Robbinsville Airport (N87). The pilot made two unsuccessful attempts to pick up the banner. The third pick up attempt was successful, and as the aircraft climbed, the engine lost power and began to smoke. The pilot released the banner, and was able to return to the airport without further damage. Inspection of the engine, post-flight, revealed a hole in the cylinder head, adjacent to, and through the bottom spark plug hole on the #5 cylinder.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF FOR A BANNER TOW MISSION FROM TRENTON ROBBINSVILLE AIRPORT (N87). THE PILOT MADE TWO UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO PICK UP THE BANNER. THE THIRD PICK UP ATTEMPT WAS SUCCESSFUL, AND AS THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND BEGAN TO SMOKE. THE PILOT RELEASED THE BANNER, AND WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGE. INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE, POST-FLIGHT, REVEALED A HOLE IN THE CYLINDER HEAD, ADJACENT TO, AND THROUGH THE BOTTOM SPARK PLUG HOLE ON THE #5 CYLINDER.