- Date
- May 20, 1989, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Decatur, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5874PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890520012139A
- Case key
- 22865
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
Inadequate inspection of the exhaust system by the maintenance personnel during the latest annual inspection.
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 stated that immediately after takeoff, the exhaust system heater muff failed, resulting in extreme heat and smoke under the cowling, and lots of smoke in the cabin. Next came a loss of engine power, and the pilot was not able to get the airplane aligned with the runway for the forced landing. After the hard landing, the nose gear collapsed. The most recent annual inspection was conducted 10 operating house before the acdt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5874P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-958
- Airframe hours
- 2,411
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Frazier, David R., doing business as 2720 Overland Drive
- Registered owner
- Steffen, Thomas E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 8F7 · Decatur, TX
- Airport
- 8F7 · Decatur Municipal, runway 17, 2,550 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 38
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,295 total · 23 in this make and model · 2,268 as pilot in command · 142 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
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 N5874P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.