- Date
- November 10, 1982, 23:37 local (Nov 11, 1982, 07:37 UTC)
- Place
- Coaling, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3035MPiper PA-28R-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821110058669A
- Case key
- 70289
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 reported that during flight, the engine started missing, then lost 10 inches of manifold pressure. He immediately positioned the mixture to full rich, switched fuel tanks and started the fuel boost pump, but the engine continued to worsen. Shortly after that, the oil pressure went to zero and the engine quit. The pilot received radar vectors through clouds toward the nearest airport, but he was unable to glide that FAR. Subsequently, the plane crash landed in an open field. A teardown of the engine revealed that the #5 piston had sustained pre- ignition/detonation burn through of the ring belt structure between the lower spark plug and exhaust valve positions. The #5 connecting rod had overheated to bearing destruction. Either the crankpin end of the rod or the release cap had ruptured the case. The fuel pump idle adjustment and aneroid had been set to high pressure (lean) and the fuel control needle valve had been adjusted to high flow. These setting would cause preignition/detonation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3035M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-201T (PA-28R-201)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7803161
- Airframe hours
- 1,297
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-36O-F, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Flight East, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Charles & June Steeves
- Departed
- AI · Hayward, CA
- Destination
- AI · Burbank, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,180 total · 95 in this make and model · 2,040 as pilot in command · 235 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 131 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NLC, 15 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.