- Date
- December 20, 1988, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Athens, GA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N17696Beech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 28, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881220062339A
- Case key
- 7970
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
While cruising at 6,000', the plt felt an intense vibration fm the eng. Power was reduced & a descent was begun toward a nearby arpt. Before reaching the arpt, the eng lost power & an emergency wheels-up landing was made in an open field. An exam of the eng revealed the #1 exhaust valve had failed. The valve guide was battered & broken, and was loose in its bore. The bore was fretted & had become oversized. The eng had been overhauled & installed in the acft on 1/20/82 with a total time of 1515 hrs. According to the log book, new valves & valve guides had been installed at that time. The eng time since major overhaul was 1041 hrs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17696
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E1004
- Airframe hours
- 3,330
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bonanza Five, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 4, 1988 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- DNL · Augusta, GA
- Destination
- PDK · Chamblee, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- runway 27, 4,989 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 619 total · 167 in this make and model · 491 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N17696 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.