- Date
- September 14, 1992, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Powellsville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6953ZPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920914041119A
- Case key
- 8667
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 failure of the no.1 exhaust valve.
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 engine lost power while the pilot was maneuvering for a spraying run. He attempted a forced landing to a short field, but ground looped the airplane to avoid colliding with automotive traffic on an adjacent public road. The engine examination disclosed that the no. 1 exhaust valve had failed, but the failure mode was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6953Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-2699
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Zach, Herbert
- Registered owner
- Zach, Herbert
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 19, 1992 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- Windsor, NC
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,411 total · 307 in this make and model · 4,358 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ECG, 10 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.
Other investigations on N6953Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.