- Date
- April 3, 1989, 09:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Alamosa, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N48DLPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890403006019A
- Case key
- 17690
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
Fatigue failure of the engine crankshaft. A factor related to the accident was: the terrain condition 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.
Analysis
During flt at 16,000 ft, the eng lost power & began vibrating. The plt contacted ARTCC & announced his intentions to make a forced landing at the Alamosa arpt. However, he was unable to reach the arpt & selected a field about 1 mi away. During the landing, the acft enctrd svrl irrigation ditches & the gear collapsed. An exam revealed the eng crankshaft had failed at the #2 & #3 journals. There was evidence that the #2 pin had failed from fatigue, then the #3 pin failed from overload.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48DL
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8231025
- Airframe hours
- 1,314
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lyons, Dean P.
- Registered owner
- Dean P Lyons, M.D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 1988 · 126 hours before
- Departed
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Destination
- FMN · Farmington, NM
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,530 total · 1,400 in this make and model · 1,530 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.