# Incident 20221009019919I: Piper PA-28-236, Towanda, PA, October 9, 2022 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 9, 2022, 12:50 local time - Place: Towanda, PA - Airport: Bradford County - Damage: No damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 41.7400° N, 76.4471° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BRADFORD COUNTY (N27), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7400&lon=-76.4471&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4305N, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4305N) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-28-236 (registry code 7102815, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-236) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-236 - Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20221009019919I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON OCTOBER 10, 2022, THE HARRISBURG FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE FSDO RECEIVED AN EMAIL STATING THAT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A PA-28-236 DAKOTA, SN: 28-8311020 HAD AN IN-FLIGHT CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR AT BRADFORD COUNTY AIRPORT (N27). THE REPORT INDICATED THAT EITHER A FLYWEIGHT OR A SPEEDER SPRING BROKE AND EJECTED ITSELF OUT THE BOTTOM OF THE HOUSING, CREATING A ½’” TO ¾” HOLE IN THE BOTTOM OF THE GOVERNOR HOUSING. MAINTENANCE WAS ADVISED TO QUARANTINE THE COMPONENT AND PROCEED WITH THE DAMAGE INSPECTION. AN INSPECTOR FROM THE HARRISBURG FSDO SPOKE WITH THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. HE WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT ON BOARD DURING THE FLIGHT. HE STATED THAT HE DEPARTED FROM WILLIAMSPORT REGIONAL AIRPORT (IPT) AT 1230PM LOCAL FOR A FUN FLIGHT AND TO PERFORM SOME PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACHES. ALL ENGINE PERFORMANCE AND INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL DURING THE PRE-TAKEOFF RUN UP. HE DEPARTED TO THE NORTHEAST. HE LEVELED OFF AT 5500FT ASL AND SET CRUISE POWER OF 2300RPM AND 20” OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES OF FLIGHT TIME, HE STARTED HIS DESCENT TO CONDUCT A COUPLED PRACTICE APPROACH FOR THE GPS RUNWAY 23 APPROACH AT BRADFORD COUNTY AIRPORT (N27) AND PROCEEDED TO OKZUS INTERSECTION. AFTER CROSSING THE FIX AND TURNING INBOUND FOR A 10 MILE FINAL, HE STATED THAT HE HAD A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER (50%). HE DECIDED TO MAINTAIN 3500FT UNTIL HE WAS CERTAIN THAT HE WOULD MAKE THE RUNWAY AND STARTED A HIGH FAST DESCENT. DURING THE DECENT HE NOTICED OIL COMING OUT OF THE FILLER PORT DOOR ON THE COWLING AND OIL WAS SPRAYING ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON RUNWAY 23 AT N27 WITHOUT INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE. WHEN HE EXITED THE AIRCRAFT, HE FOUND THAT THE FRONT LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS COVERED IN OIL AND THERE WAS OIL POURING OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE COWLING. THE MAINTENANCE SHOP AT N27 INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND A HOLE THE SIZE OF A QUARTER IN THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR. A CHECK OF THE OIL LEVEL INDICATED THAT 2 QUARTS HAD LEAKED FROM THE GOVERNOR DURING THE FLIGHT. AN INSPECTION OF THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR REVEALED THE QUARTER SIZE HOLE WITH AN OUTWARD PUNCTURING PATTERN. A SAFETY SPRING WAS PROTRUDING FROM THE HOLE AND AT LEAST ONE FLYWEIGHT AND SOME OTHER UNIDENTIFIED PIECES WERE LOOSE INSIDE THE HOUSING. THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR SHAFT WAS INTACT (NOT SHEARED) BUT COULD NOT BE MOVED BY HAND. INSPECTION OF THE PROPELLER GOVERNOR GASKET SCREEN REVEALED ONE SMALL PIECE OF METAL THAT WAS NON-FERROUS. THE OIL WAS DRAINED FROM THE ENGINE AND THE SUCTION SCREEN WAS INSPECTED FOR METAL. NO METAL WAS FOUND IN THE SUCTION SCREEN. THE OIL FILTER WAS REMOVED AND CUT OPEN. INSPECTION OF THE FILTER ELEMENT REVEALED LIGHT METAL PARTICULATE THAT WAS MOSTLY NON-FERROUS. ONLY A FEW SMALL PIECES OF FERROUS METAL WAS FOUND ON THE FILTER ELEMENT AND IT WAS DETERMINED BY THE REPAIR STATION THAT THE METAL PARTICULATE WAS TYPICAL OF AN ENGINE THAT HAD BEEN RECENTLY OVERHAULED. REVIEW OF THE MAINTENANCE LOGS FOR THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED THAT THE ENGINE HAD BEEN OVERHAULED AND A NEW PCU5000, PN: ATF4-21, SN: 13404226 PROPELLER GOVERNOR WITH A MANUFACTURE DATE OF 11/2013 WAS INSTALLED WITH THE ENGINE ON MARCH 2, 2021 AT A TACH OF 1491.5. TACH TIME AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT WAS 1720.4 PLACING THE GOVERNOR TIME AT 228.9 HOURS TOTAL TIME SINCE NEW. THE MANUFACTURER DISASSEMBLED THE GOVERNOR WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE FAA PRESENT. IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY BROKEN PIECES INSIDE THE GOVERNOR TO PINPOINT THE EXACT FAILURE PORT. THE GOVERNOR AND ALL OF THE RECOVERED PIECES WERE SENT TO A METALLURGY LABORATORY FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.