- Date
- January 25, 1990, 14:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Austin, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N30057Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900125001139A
- Case key
- 23098
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
Failure of the rocker arm in the engine driven fuel pump.
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 newly certificated pilot was receiving dual instruction to improve his landing technique. He stated that he had overshot his turn to final and was low on the approach, when he applied power and noticed the engine had failed. The instructor stated that they were approximately one half to one third mile from the runway and at approximately 200 to 300 feet AGL at this point. The instructor took control of the aircraft and diverted the glide into trees to avoid ten foot tall power lines across his approach path. The aircraft was substantially damaged during impact with trees and terrain. A teardown inspection of the engine revealed that the engine driven fuel pump rocker arm had failed at the pivot point. This component had 8,557 hours total time and 1,367 hours since engine overhaul.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30057
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7916074
- Airframe hours
- 8,558
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Ford, Brendon
- Registered owner
- Ford, Brendon S.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 15, 1989 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- 3R3 · Austin, TX
- Destination
- 3R3
- Airport
- 3R3 · Austin Exec Airpark, runway 36, 5,000 × 50 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
- 56
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,845 total · 46 in this make and model · 5,508 as pilot in command · 135 in the last 90 days · 46 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.