- Date
- March 2, 1986, 07:37 local (12:37 UTC)
- Place
- Hickory, NC
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N9153KPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860302004599A
- Case key
- 7069
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During cruise flt, plt felt eng vib and diverted to nearest aprt. During the descent the plt heard an explosion, saw the eng cowl pop up and oil covered the windscreen. Established in a glide the acft collided with trees then the ground. Exam of the eng revealed that cyl #2 had departed the. Four of the eight hold down nuts had backed completely off of the studs. 3 studs were broken and 1 stud pulled out of the crankcase.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9153K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7690223
- Airframe hours
- 3,793
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Blue Horizon Flying Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 17, 1985 · 158 hours before
- Departed
- CLT · Charlotte, NC
- Destination
- CRW · Charleston, WV
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- HKY · Hickory Municipal
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,375 total · 473 in this make and model · 1,808 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HKY, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.