- Date
- January 15, 1985, 08:05 local (13:05 UTC)
- Place
- Floridana, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1496XPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850115001169A
- Case key
- 31342
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 cruise flight the pilot noted the engine was vibrating severely and spraying oil and then failed. Examination of the engine revealed that the #2 cylinder connecting rod had failed in overload. A small piece of gear tooth was found inside the engine the engine and it exhibited evidence of fatigue failure modes. The loose gear tooth was free to move through the engine cavity and initiate other failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1496X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7440165
- Airframe hours
- 5,583
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-KIA5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Chapman Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 27, 1984 · 398 hours before
- Departed
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- MLB · Melbourne, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,813 total · 140 in this make and model · 1,686 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MLB, 4 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.