- Date
- August 29, 1990, 18:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5481LRyan PT-22A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900829037509A
- Case key
- 14764
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
Separation of a loose cylinder assembly in flight, and unsuitable terrain encountered during the execution of a forced landing.
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 pilot was in cruise flight when the engine began to misfire. When he reduced power to idle, the misfiring stopped, but when he advanced the throttle to cruise power the engine misfired several more times and the number 1 cylinder departed the engine. The pilot executed a forced landing into a field containing cor which was 6-8 feet high. The aircraft nosed-over on landing roll and came to rest inverted. The investigation revealed evidence that the number 1 cylinder was loose prior to separation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5481L
- Reported as
- Ryan PT-22A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1861
- Airframe hours
- 1,245
- Engine
- Kinner R-55, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David R. Stevens
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 30, 1989 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- 6D6 · Greenville, MI
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,691 total · 43 in this make and model · 1,092 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Observed at
- GRR, 20 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.