- Date
- March 30, 1989, 19:30 local (Mar 31, 1989, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Monee, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N55191Piper PA-28-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890330005209A
- Case key
- 14333
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
Inadequate maintenance/inspection of the aircraft after metal fragments were found in the oil, and worn cam lobes/followers/piston pin plugs, which resulted in oil contamination, restriction (blockage) in the oil system, oil starvation, and subsequent engine (connecting rod) failure. Factors related to the accident were: dark night, lack of runway lights at the nearby airport, and a ditch in the emergency landing area.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55191
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7310120
- Airframe hours
- 980
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B4B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lincoln Meat Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 25, 1988 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- 3HA · Lansing, IL
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total · 40 in this make and model · 2,450 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GYY, 19 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.