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20250519013689I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-32-260 · West, TX · May 19, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 19, 2025 · 14:20 local
Place
West, TX
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3498W
Reported as
Piper PA-32-260
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
995 total22 in this make and model180 in the last 90 days
N3498WRegistered now · Piper PA-32-260S/N 32-378 · Built 1966Airframe modelPiper PA-32-260Engine 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.

The instructional flight was delayed leaving due to low IFR. After they met at the airplane and briefed, taxied to runway 17. The student picked up his clearance and had another delay for a king air departing. On departure the airplane climbed to 4000 feet. After being vectored away from the airport they were turned back for the approach and cleared down to 2200 feet. The instructor and student both noticed the engine was running a little rough and progressively got worse quickly. Within a minute of the first indication, they said they heard a "pop" followed by smoke coming out from beneath the engine cowling. As the airplane descended the instructor and student chose a road for their emergency landing. They missed all traffic on the road, mailboxes, roadsigns, trees and powerlines. After floating then rolling to a stop, the engine was still running even with one cylinder no longer mounted to the case. The rpms at this point had a wide variation. Engine shut off with mixture. After moving the airplane from the roadway calls were made to approach and 911.

As the FAA filed it

THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WAS DELAYED LEAVING DUE TO LOW IFR. AFTER THEY MET AT THE AIRPLANE AND BRIEFED, TAXIED TO RUNWAY 17. THE STUDENT PICKED UP HIS CLEARANCE AND HAD ANOTHER DELAY FOR A KING AIR DEPARTING. ON DEPARTURE THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED TO 4000 FEET. AFTER BEING VECTORED AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT THEY WERE TURNED BACK FOR THE APPROACH AND CLEARED DOWN TO 2200 FEET. THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT BOTH NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING A LITTLE ROUGH AND PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE QUICKLY. WITHIN A MINUTE OF THE FIRST INDICATION, THEY SAID THEY HEARD A "POP" FOLLOWED BY SMOKE COMING OUT FROM BENEATH THE ENGINE COWLING. AS THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT CHOSE A ROAD FOR THEIR EMERGENCY LANDING. THEY MISSED ALL TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD, MAILBOXES, ROADSIGNS, TREES AND POWERLINES. AFTER FLOATING THEN ROLLING TO A STOP, THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING EVEN WITH ONE CYLINDER NO LONGER MOUNTED TO THE CASE. THE RPMS AT THIS POINT HAD A WIDE VARIATION. ENGINE SHUT OFF WITH MIXTURE. AFTER MOVING THE AIRPLANE FROM THE ROADWAY CALLS WERE MADE TO APPROACH AND 911.