- Date
- January 14, 2002, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pagosa Springs, CO
- Injuries
- 4 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6935YPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20020114000739A
- Case key
- 54028
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
the total power failure of the right engine due to the failure of its lubricating system. Contributing factors were the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing, and the terrain being above the airplane's single engine performance capability.
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 said that both engines developed good power during the takeoff roll. After climbing to 8,400 feet, the right engine started missing badly and blue smoke was observed coming from the inboard side of the engine cowling. The pilot said that he shut the engine down, and turned back towards the airport. He decided to restart the right engine, but the engine seized up approximately 20 seconds after he restarted it. He performed a forced landing to a small field on a heavy forested ridge approximately 2 miles south of the airport. Both wings were bent, and the fuselage was wrinkled. The airplane's Pilot Owners Handbook indicates that the airplane's single engine absolute ceiling is 6,400 feet. The salvage/recovery team reported that they found excessive oil on and around the right engine nacelle. The exact cause of the oil system failure was never determined.
Factual narrative
On January 14, 2002, at approximately 1130 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-23-250, N6935Y, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a power loss in the right engine near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The private pilot and his three passengers received minor injures. The pilot was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan.
The pilot said that both engines developed good power during the takeoff roll. After climbing to 8,400 feet, the right engine started missing badly and blue smoke was observed coming from the inboard side of the engine cowling. The pilot said that he shut the engine down, and turned back towards the airport. He decided to restart the right engine, but the engine seized up approximately 20 seconds after he restarted it. He performed a forced landing to a small field on a heavy forested ridge approximately 2 miles south of the airport. Both wings were bent, and the fuselage was wrinkled.
In the emergency section of the airplane's Pilot Owners Handbook (POH), the procedure for engine failure indicates that the second thing a pilot should do is feather the propeller. The POH does indicate that the airplane's single engine absolute ceiling is 6,400 feet. The salvage/recovery team reported that they found excessive oil on and around the right engine nacelle. The exact cause of the oil system failure was never determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6935Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-4292
- Airframe hours
- 5,006
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert D. Hagberg
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 31, 2001 · 104 hours before
- Departed
- 2V1 · Pagosa Springs, CO
- Destination
- SAF · Santa Fe, NM
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- August 28, 2000
- Flight hours
- 2,215 total · 470 in this make and model · 2,016 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- DRO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 10, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 388 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.