- Date
- August 26, 1986, 14:34 local (19:34 UTC)
- Place
- Wilson, KS
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3442WPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860826044349A
- Case key
- 34236
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
The pilot stated that before the flight the spark plugs were cleaned and inspected and the engine was serviced with eleven quarts of oil. Three hours into the flight instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with rain was encountered and shortly thereafter the oil pressure dropped to zero and the engine began running rough, according to the pilot. The engine was secured, an emergency was declared, and a descent under IMC was initiated with vectors from Kansas city ARTCC, the pilot further stated. But upon breaking out of the clouds, the only landing area available was a rolling pasture with a drainage ditch across the landing path. Post-accident examination of the engine revealed oil starvation due to failure of the number six pushrod and damage to the crankcase.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3442W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-307
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lloyd G. Mcbride
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 2, 1986 · 52 hours before
- Departed
- FNL · Fort Collins, CO
- Destination
- SLN · Salina, KS
- 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
- 64
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,430 total · 238 in this make and model · 56 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 13,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SLN, 50 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.
Other investigations on N3442W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.