# Incident 20210114002909I: Piper PA-28-180, Richlands, VA, January 14, 2021

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 14, 2021, 14:08 local time
- Place: Richlands, VA
- Airport: Tazewell County
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.0637° N, 81.7983° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at TAZEWELL COUNTY (JFZ), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.0637&lon=-81.7983&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4933L, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4933L) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-180
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 294 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210114002909I

## Narrative

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

TRAVELING FROM OHIO TO SOUTH CAROLINA ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN AND ABOUT 1.5 HOURS INTO FLIGHT AND 30 MINUTES FROM OUR SCHEDULED FUEL STOP IN ELKINS NC (KZEF),

DURING NORMAL SCAN NOTICED A SLIGHT DROP IN OIL PRESSURE AND OIL TEMP WAS BELOW 180 (NORMALLY AROUND 195). I NOTIFIED INDY CENTER OF THE ISSUE AND LET THEM KNOW I WAS

DIVERTING TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT, KJFZ, WHICH WAS ABOUT 15NM SE AND THAT I WAS GOING TO ADD SOME ALTITUDE (WAS AT 7K). INDY CENTER CLEARED ME DIRECT TO KJFZ AND GAVE ME

RELATIVE POSITION OF AIRPORT. OIL PRESSURE CONTINUED TO DROP UNTIL ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH AND I HAD GAINED ABOUT 500 FT. A LOUD BANG CAME FROM ENGINE AND PLANE STARTED

TO SHAKE, SHAKING SO BAD AUDIO PANEL SLIDE OUT OF ITS TRAY. RAN THROUGH EMERGENCY CHECKLIST, GOT IT TO BEST GLIDE, AND HAD AIRPORT IN SIGHT AT 5NM, ENGINE STILL RUNNING, BUT NOT

MAKING ADEQUATE POWER TO SUSTAIN ALTITUDE, AND HAD AUDIO PANEL BACK IN WITH FRONT SEAT PASSENGER HOLDING IT IN PLACE. DECLARED EMERGENCY TO INDY CENTER AND SWITCHED TO

KJFZ UNICOM AND LET LOCAL TRAFFIC KNOW WHERE I WAS AND MY PLAN TO LAND ON RUNWAY 25. MADE THE RUNWAY AND HAD ENOUGH POWER TO TAXI IT BACK TO RAMP. LOOKS LIKE

CONNECTING ROD ON CYLINDER #4 BROKE AND CAME THROUGH TOP OF ENGINE CASING.

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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