- Date
- May 6, 1983, 17:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Clinton, MO
- Injuries
- 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N278MWPiper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830506017919A
- Case key
- 33406
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
While cruising at 8,500 ft the pax in the right seat noticed that the oil filler access door on top of the right eng wasopen & oil was leaking. The plt checked the eng instruments & the only abnormal reading was a low manifold pressure reading on the left eng. The plt elected to make a precautionary landing at Clinton. The plt stated that while in the traffic pattern he heard the left eng cutting out. Remembering the earlier indication o low mp on the left eng, he thought the left eng was failing & feathered the left prop. He retracted gear & flaps, but the right eng would not produce enough power & the acft crash landed in a wheat field. Exam of the right eng revealed a fatigue failure of the #4 cyl. Initiation had occurred at pre-existing sharp-bottomed dents in the two cracked fins with propagation toward & into the cyl. The left eng was run & the only deficiency noted was that the eng ran richer than normal at low power settings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N278MW
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7952004
- Airframe hours
- 1,484
- Engine
- Lycoming LTIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Leo Eisenberg And Co., Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 9, 1982 · 158 hours before
- Departed
- SGF · Springfield, MO
- Destination
- MKC · Kansas City, MO
- Airport
- Clinton Memorial, runway 22, 2,800 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,631 total · 44 in this make and model · 3,580 as pilot in command · 101 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 22 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Observed at
- SZL, 23 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.