- Date
- March 4, 1990, 11:19 local (17:19 UTC)
- Place
- Creola, AL
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N991DBPiper PA-28-151
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900304003139A
- Case key
- 8114
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to assure that proper maintenance and inspection of the aircraft were completed before flight.
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
The private pilot was test flying an airplane following a number three cylinder change. On initial climb, the engine began to vibrate, backfire and lose power. The airplane crashed on a highway median located about one mile from the airport center. A post-crash inspection of the engine revealed a piece of exhaust valve lodged in the number one piston head. Another valve fragment was found inside the muffler. The pilot reported that the number three cylinder change was the result of a previously failed number three exhaust valve and subsequent internal damage to the number three cylinder. An assumption was made that the fragments from the failed valve had exited the engine via the exhaust system. A local mechanic changed the cylinder, but did not complete the repair due to a lack of time. The pilot finished the repair, test ran the engine, and flew the airplane on the accident flight. The engine was not certified airworthy prior to the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N991DB
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-151
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7615424
- Airframe hours
- 4,356
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- W. D. Burnham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 28, 1990 · 14 hours before
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
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 108 total · 20 in this make and model · 83 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MOB, 18 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.