- Date
- December 12, 1990, 16:57 local (21:57 UTC)
- Place
- Jupiter, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4480FPiper PA-28-151
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901212053899A
- Case key
- 32803
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
Partial loss of engine power due to failure of an exhaust valve, due to a valve guide that was worn beyond specifications.
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 flt about 1/2 mile offshore at an alt of 500 ft, the plt stated that he heard a knocking sound & the eng lost power. Unable to maintain alt, he ditched the acft. The acft was recovered & the eng was removed for further exam. Exam of the eng revealed that the no.2 cyl exhaust valve failed due to a worn valve guide. The internal diameter of the valve guide at the top measured .539' & the bottom measure .563'. Factory specifications are .4985' to .4995'. The eng logbooks were inside the acft & were not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4480F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-151
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7715036
- Airframe hours
- 5,740
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Zimmerman, Barry L.
- Registered owner
- Zimmerman, B. L. & Patricia L
- Departed
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- SUA · Stuart, FL
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
- 27
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,510 total · 200 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 30,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 31 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.