- Date
- September 2, 1987, 20:06 local (Sep 3, 1987, 00:06 UTC)
- Place
- Montgomeryville, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N596SPPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870903049059A
- Case key
- 30729
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 climbing through about 1500' after takeoff, the engine began to lose power. The pilot turned back toward the airport, but subsequently all power was lost & the aircraft was damaged during a landing in a corn field. A post- accident examination revealed the oil line between the engine and oil cooler had failed. Subsequently, the number 2 connecting rod failed due to oil starvation. The oil line had 1613 hrs of operation. Piper service bulletin number 531 recommended the oil line be changed after 1000 hours of operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N596SP
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-24458
- Airframe hours
- 3,922
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John Marabella, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 9, 1987 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- N34 · Prospectville, PA
- Destination
- N34
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
- 31
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.