- Date
- February 26, 1992, 11:05 local (19:05 UTC)
- Place
- Woodland, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N595SPPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920226004119A
- Case key
- 27567
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 company maintenance personnel's inadequate 100-hour inspection and failure to replace the oil line. Contributing to the accident was the rupture of the oil line and the ditch that traversed the emergency landing area.
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 certificated private pilot and a passenger were in the cruise portion of a cross country personal flight when the engine RPM and oil pressure began to drop. The engine quit running and the pilot selected an emergency landing area. The pilot made a forced landing in a grassy field that had a ditch across the landing area. While attempting to maneuver over the ditch, the landing gear struck the side of the ditch, tearing off the landing gear and damaging both wings. An inspection of the engine revealed that the engine to the oil cooler oil line ruptured. Maintenance records indicated that the oil line had been installed on the airplane for the last 1,600 hours and a 100-hour inspection was performed 50 hours before the accident flight. Replacement of the line is required no later than 1,000 hours of service and the company mechanic did not replace the oil line.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N595SP
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-24449
- Airframe hours
- 2,500
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mr. Aircraft, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Jack White
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 13, 1991 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- O61 · Cameron Park, CA
- Destination
- UKI · Ukiah, 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 150 total · 16 in this make and model · 84 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °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.
Other investigations on N595SP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.