- Date
- December 26, 1985, 11:08 local (18:08 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- XBDRLPiper PA-34T-22OT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 25044
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
During a trans border VFR x-country flt, the plt noticed 'oil spirting from the left engine' with smoke, & he shut it down. An emergency was declared by the Tucson ATCT, who cleared the acft to land straight in on rwy 29L. Tower personnel observed the acft porpoise about 7,000 ft down the rwy before ground looping and sliding off the left side. The acft & engines had about 249 hours total time. Examination of the left engine revealed a 3/4 inch crack in the lower front weld seam of the oil cooler. The crack was only visable under pressure testing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- XBDRL
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34T-22OT (PA-34T-22O)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-8133255
- Airframe hours
- 250
- Engine
- Continental TS10-360KB, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marco Arvizi
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 25, 1985 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- Obregon,Sondra
- Destination
- OLS · Nogales, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- TUS · Tucson Intl, runway 29, 9,129 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificates
- Private, Foreign
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 40 in this make and model · 530 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUS