- Date
- December 12, 1985, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Evanston, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4380APiper PA-46-310P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851212072839A
- Case key
- 13251
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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 aircraft was on climbout on an IFR flight plan in VMC conditions when the engine failed. A restart was attempted and the engine ran for a minute or less. Subsequent attempts were unsuccessful. The aircraft was over lake Michigan and had insufficient altitude to reach the shoreline. A successful water landing was made and the occupants were picked up by the coast guard unharmed. Subsequent examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4380A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-46-310P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 468508016
- Airframe hours
- 478
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-BE, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Plane Masters
- Registered owner
- Theodore J. Adams
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 13, 1985 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- DPA · West Chicago, IL
- Destination
- 7D2 · Troy, MI
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 1,890 total · 16 in this make and model · 1,801 as pilot in command · 67 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 16 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NBU, 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.