- Date
- February 4, 1990, 18:15 local (Feb 5, 1990, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Roanoke, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N33052Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900204001529A
- Case key
- 23101
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 partial power loss due to a failed exhaust valve and the failure of the pilot to maintain adequate speed during the precautionary landing approach.
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 airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with the ground after the pilot stalled it and lost control during a precuationary landing following a partial loss of power due to a failure of the #4 exhaust valve. Initially the pilot was going to make a precautionary landing at a nearby airport, however, when he turned final he saw that he had opposing traffic. He turned away from the final approach course and encountered high tension lines that he could not clear. The pilot then turned back toward the airport. During the second turn, the airplane stalled and impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. Due to smearing of the fracture surfaces the origin of the failure of the valve could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33052
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7525145
- Airframe hours
- 2,157
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kenneth W. Vanderford
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 8, 1989 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- 23F · Keller, TX
- Destination
- 23F
- Airport
- 52F · N.W. Regional, runway 17, 3,500 × 40 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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 385 total · 350 in this make and model · 337 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DFW, 18 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.