- Date
- June 9, 1991, 14:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Grass Lake, MI
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7470RPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910609020579A
- Case key
- 15089
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
A ruptured oil cooler line. A factor associated with the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for the precautionary 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 plt said that while cruising at 3000 feet MSL, he noticed smoke in the cockpit, then a loss of oil pressure. The plt reduced power to a minimum and elected to make a precautionary landing on a hay field. Overshooting his intended landing site, he tried to land in an adjacent field, but collided with a fence, a railroad right of way, then bounced and slid to a stop on the railroad tracks. Post accident investigation revealed an oil cooler hose had failed which caused the loss of oil pressure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7470R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-22018
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Scott G. Miller
- Registered owner
- Scott G. Miller
- Departed
- ARB · Ann Arbor, MI
- Destination
- JXN · Jackson, 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 216 total · 192 in this make and model · 177 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- JXN, 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.
Other investigations on N7470R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.