- Date
- April 2, 1991, 21:15 local (Apr 3, 1991, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8156EPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910402026039A
- Case key
- 32845
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
Failure of maintenance personnel to follow directions of a service bulletin during the major overhaul of the engine. This resulted in failure to detect a foreign object under the crankshaft gear. As a result the crankshaft gear became loose and quit turning resulting in the total loss of engine power.
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
While on a short cross country flt, the eng quit. The plt was unable to restart the eng. During the forced landing on a road, the acft collided with a tree then a guardrail. Exam of the eng revealed that the crankshaft gear which drives two crankshaft idler gears which in turn drives each magneto drive gear failed to do so when the bolt which secures it to the crankshaft backed out about three turns. This was due to a foreign object located under the gear for an undetermined time. The loose bolt resulted in the torque from the crankshaft being transmitted to the crankshaft alignment dowel, which is a non-load carrying member. The alignment dowel failed due to fatigue resulting in the total loss of eng power. The foreign object was reportedly not located. Review of the eng logbooks revealed that the eng was overhauled 1,574 hrs earlier.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8156E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8290102
- Airframe hours
- 3,602
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sun Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Vero Air Rental, Inc.
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 25, 1991 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- 2RR · River Ranch, FL
- Destination
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 121 total · 121 in this make and model · 48 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 60° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.