# NTSB CHI00LA103: Piper PA-28-140, N54454, Pine City, MN, April 2, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 2, 2000, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Pine City, MN - Coordinates: 45.829292, -92.960624 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.8293&lon=-92.9606&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 19, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 48894 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI00LA103 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/48894/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI00LA103 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power due to the failure of the number four cylinder's exhaust valve spring and exhaust valve. Contributing to the accident were, the barbwire fence and the clump of high vegetation encountered by the airplane. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - engine assembly,other - failure (contributing factor) - engine assembly,valve,exhaust - failure (contributing factor) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - none suitable (cause) - emergency procedure - performed, pilot in command - On ground/water collision with object, emergency landing - object - fence (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - high vegetation (contributing factor) ## Analysis The airplane encountered an in-flight loss of engine power and sustained substantial damage on impact with a fence and vegetation during a forced landing in a field. The pilot had minor injury. The passenger was uninjured. The engine's number four cylinder's exhaust valve spring and valve were found failed. The valve spring had a 45-degree fracture approximately 0.75 inches from an end. The valve head was found with approximately a third of its' face fractured off. A section of valve head was found within the cylinder. The valve head's face and head section had indentations. The pilot stated, 'With the lake to our west, a bunch of trees to our north, a house to our south behind us, when the engine quit. I chose to turn 90[degrees] to the east fly under some high tension wires, which I knew I could do safely, to a field on the other side. The field was not very wide, but I felt it was safer for landing without any houses close by. Being 200 to 300 feet above the ground I didn't have the altitude to turn 180[degrees] and land in the field below. I could not get stopped in the narrow field, so consequently we went through the barb wire fence on the east side and hit a clump of bushes with our left wing, which brought us to a stop.' ## Factual narrative On April 2, 2000, at 1600 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N54454, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage on impact with a fence and vegetation during a forced landing in a field near Pine City, Minnesota following an in-flight loss of engine power. The aerial observation flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot sustained minor injury and the passenger was uninjured. The local flight originated from Mora Municipal Airport, near Mora, Minnesota at 1430. The pilot stated, "We flew for about 1 1/2 hours with no problems. Suddenly our engine loss power as I rolled out of a 360[degree] turn, at a check point about 5 mi east of Pine City. I immediately gave full power, mixture rich and carb heat on. Our power loss was so dramatic that I knew it wasn't carb ice. Our power dropped from 2400 rpm to 1500. We were at 2500' MSL and losing altitude. Between us and the airport was a lake which I felt wasn't safe to try and cross. I tried to fly north around the lake when the plane started to lose more power and it was evident we were going to have to ditch." He said, "With the lake to our west, a bunch of trees to our north, a house to our south behind us, when the engine quit. I chose to turn 90[degrees] to the east fly under some high tension wires, which I knew I could do safely, to a field on the other side. The field was not very wide, but I felt it was safer for landing without any houses close by. Being 200 to 300 feet above the ground I didn't have the altitude to turn 180[degrees] and land in the field below. I could not get stopped in the narrow field, so consequently we went through the barb wire fence on the east side and hit a clump of bushes with our left wing, which brought us to a stop." The accident airplane's engine was salvaged and was disassembled. Its number four cylinder's exhaust valve spring and valve were found failed. The spring's uncompressed length from end to end as recovered was 2.25 inches. The spring was fractured approximately 0.75 inches from an end. The springs fracture surface was approximately 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the coil at that point. The valve head was found with approximately a third of its face fractured off. A semicircular section of the valve head, approximately 0.75 inches in length, was found within the cylinder. The valve head's face and valve head section were found with indentations. See appended valve photographs. ## Aircraft - Registration: N54454 (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28-140 - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-7425135 - Airframe hours: 3350 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-E3D 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial observation, Part 91 - Registered owner: Horizon Aviation Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, March 11, 2000, 8 hours before - Departed: JMR, MORA, MN ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 28; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 875 total, 30 in this make and model, 802 as pilot in command, 131 in the last 90 days, 92 in the last 30 days, 6 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 240° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,200 ft broken - Temperature: 52 °F, dew point 37 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: JMR, 15 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000402013449A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000402013449A), Apr 2, 2000: Piper PA28140, Pine City, MN, No damage. (-23) A/c engine lost power during cruise flight. During forced landing the a/c struck a tree causing substantial damage. Mechanic will forward m or d to the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.