# NTSB DEN06LA040: Piper PA-28-235, N9149W, Torreon, NM, February 20, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: February 20, 2006, 07:20 local (14:20 UTC) - Place: Torreon, NM - Coordinates: 35.61, -107.099998 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.6100&lon=-107.1000&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 29, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 63257 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN06LA040 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/63257/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN06LA040 ## Probable cause The jammed magneto drive gear and the fractured camshaft gear, which resulted in the total engine failure. A factor contributing to the accident was the unsuitable dirt road on which the pilot had to force land the airplane. ## Analysis The pilot reported that "approximately 25 minutes into the flight, the engine quit - 2,350 rpm to zero rpm reading." The pilot attempted to restart the engine but the engine would not start. The pilot then executed a forced landing to a dirt road. The pilot said, "We touched down with the road veering slightly to the right and bounced once becoming airborne again. The plane yawed to the right and when I straightened the aircraft we touched down a second time left of center on the dirt road and shoulder. The bar ditch had been graded so as to drain into the field adjacent to the road. When we struck the perpendicular ditch, the nose gear gave way forcing us to a stop." An on-scene examination of the airplane showed the nose wheel broken aft, the lower cowling crushed upward, the engine and engine mounts bent upward, and the lower firewall bent upward and aft. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the airplane's engine showed the left magneto impulse coupling broken and the magneto drive gear jammed. The adjacent camshaft gear showed 4 broken teeth. Milled metal was found around the drive coupling and camshaft gear. No other anomalies were found. ## Factual narrative On February 20, 2006, approximately 0720 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-235, N9149W, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a forced landing on a dirt road, 12 miles southeast of Torreon, New Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating without a flight plan under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and 3 passengers on board the airplane were not injured. The cross country flight originated at Santa Fe, New Mexico approximately 0650 and was en route to Crownpoint, New Mexico. The pilot reported that "approximately 25 minutes into the flight, the engine quit - 2,350 rpm to zero rpm reading." The pilot attempted to restart the engine but the engine would not start. The pilot then executed a forced landing to a dirt road. The pilot said, "We touched down with the road veering slightly to the right and bounced once becoming airborne again. The plane yawed to the right and when I straightened the aircraft we touched down a second time left of center on the dirt road and shoulder. The bar ditch had been graded so as to drain into the field adjacent to the road. When we struck the perpendicular ditch, the nose gear gave way forcing us to a stop." An on-scene examination of the airplane showed the nose wheel broken aft, the lower cowling crushed upward, the engine and engine mounts bent upward, and the lower firewall bent upward and aft. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The airplane's engine was examined at Greeley, Colorado on April 21, 2006. The examination showed the left magneto impulse coupling broken and the magneto drive gear jammed. The adjacent camshaft gear showed 4 broken teeth. Milled metal was found around the drive coupling and camshaft gear. No other anomalies were found. The airplane had undergone an annual inspection on July 16, 2005. The airframe time at the annual inspection was 4,173 hours. The airframe time at the time of the accident was 4,214 hours. The time since the last engine overhaul was 998 hours. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf, cruise - ignition system,magneto - jammed (cause) - ignition system,magneto - fractured - engine assembly,camshaft - fractured (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - remedial action - attempted, pilot in command - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - encountered (contributing factor) - terrain condition - roadway/highway - terrain condition - ditch ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9149W](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9149W), registered now, S/N 28-10775, built 1966 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28-235 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-235](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-235) (registry code 7102810) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (registry code 41532, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-10775 - Airframe hours: 4214 - Engines: Lycoming O-540-B4B5 235 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Robert D. Tcherneshoff - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 1, 2005 - Departed: SAF, Santa Fe, NM - Destination: 0E8, Crownpoint, NM ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 42; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review December 1, 2004; seat: left; flight hours: 643 total, 520 in this make and model, 561 as pilot in command, 2 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 170° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 28 °F, dew point 10 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: SAF, 56 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20060220002259A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060220002259A), Feb 20, 2006: Piper PA28235, NM, Substantial damage. (-23) On February 20, 2006, at 0720 MST, a Piper PA-28-235 owned by [privacy data omitted] and operated by the pilot [privacy data omitted] [privacy data… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.