- Date
- January 27, 1989, 12:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Goodland, KS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N47431Piper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890127001349A
- Case key
- 34751
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
The loss of engine power resulting from an exhaust valve failure. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
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 plt reported that the engine failed during cruise flight. An emergency landing was attempted in a farm field which resulted in substantial damage to the nose gear, firewall and propeller. Post accident investigation revealed an exhaust valve failure in the number 3 cylinder.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N47431
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7890071
- Airframe hours
- 1,701
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Croots Aircraft Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 11, 1988 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- GCK · Garden City, KS
- Destination
- 7V5 · Brush, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 50 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 20 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GLD, 20 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.