- Date
- February 24, 1988, 13:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Schoolcraft, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N14142North American T-28A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 8, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880224003389A
- Case key
- 13863
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
While the pilot was climbing through 7800 MSL he noticed a vapor trail coming from the right exhaust area. The pilot notified approach control that he was returning to the departure airport and they supplied radar vectors. The pilot started a descent and during this time the engine power faded fast. Consequently he decided he was not going to make it back. The pilot contacted approach who then vectored him to a small airport approximately 2 miles away. The premature descent also placed the alternate airport out of range. The pilot chose an open field to land in. About 15 ft above the ground the aircraft stalled. It impacted the ground hard on all three landing gear. The nose wheel collapsed causing the aircraft to nose over. Investigation revealed that the #4 cylinder exhaust valve had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14142
- Reported as
- North American T-28A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51-3756
- Airframe hours
- 3,100
- Engine
- Wright R-1820-86D, 1,200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Grafton Insurance Agency, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 17, 1987 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- AZO · Kalamazoo, MI
- Destination
- C31 · Hartford, WI
- 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,915 total · 450 in this make and model · 4,710 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 21 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AZO, 7 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.