- Date
- July 19, 1983, 07:36 local (12:36 UTC)
- Place
- Youngstown, OH
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N54072Piper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830719055709A
- Case key
- 12003
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 an IFR flt, the acft was leveled at 13,000 ft & the power was set at 18 inches manifold pressure & 2300 RPM. Aprx 5 min later, the right eng began to surge to 3000 RPM & almost 'pegged.' The plt attempted to control the right propeller. Finally, the right eng went to 2300 RPM & stabilized there. The plt informed ATC & began an immediate descent to the nearest arpt. At about 7000 ft, the left eng began running rough & progressively became worse. As the left eng RPM decreased to about 1500, the left propeller was feathered. At about the same time, the right eng surged again & the right propeller was subsequently feathered. After descending below the overcast, a forced landing was made in a blackberry patch & the right main gear was damaged. An exam revealed the nut that held the right prop, spinner baffle had backed off. It had worn grooves in the airvalve which allowed the pre-load air pressure in the hub to release. Also, the pre-load air pressure on the left prop was found at 45 PSI, but should have been 70 PSI.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54072
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7405382
- Airframe hours
- 2,858
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- T. J. Aeroservice
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 6, 1983 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- CLE · Cleveland, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,830 total · 673 in this make and model · 9,543 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °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.