- Date
- July 17, 1991, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Corona, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5233SPiper PA32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910717027739A
- Case key
- 27293
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 pilot's failure to maintain an airspeed above the aircraft's stall speed after the engine failed. Factors contributing to the accident were: the failure of the engine, magneto and accessory drive gear, the rough terrain conditions over which the engine failed and the pilot-in-commands lack of total experience.
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
When the aircraft's engine failed during a visual approach for landing the pilot executed an emergency landing. During the emergency descent he neglected to maintain an airspeed above the aircraft's stall speed. The aircraft stalled and impacted the ground in rough terrain. An examination of the power plant after the accident disclosed that the left magneto impulse coupling flyweights struck the stop pins. The flyweight-stop pin impact seized the magneto and sheared the accessory drive gear alignment dowel. This failure resulted in the uncoupling the accessory drive train and the engine failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5233S
- Reported as
- Piper PA32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-40929
- Airframe hours
- 3,138
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Darryl Rhodes & James Hanenber
- Registered owner
- Darryl Rhodes & James Hanenber
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 1990 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- PSP · Palms Springs, CA
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 412 total · 40 in this make and model · 298 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RAL, 55 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.