- Date
- December 4, 1987, 09:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Houlton, ME
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- CGRQUPiper PA-28RT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 36072
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
During a personal transportation flight to quebec city in Canada and while cruising at about 6500 feet, the aircraft experienced an oil pressure light illumination, 43 nautical miles nnw of Houlton VOR on a 306 degree heading. The engine then started to run rough and eventually lost power. Emergency was declared and the aircraft landed on its belly on a logging road. The right wing hit a tree stump, the aircraft was destroyed. Invest revealed that #1 connecting rod had failed. The eng showed signs of heat distress around the #1 rod. The acft had oil on the sides and bottom of the fuselage. There was also a hole in the top rear of the eng.
Aircraft
- Registration
- CGRQU
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28 7931263
- Airframe hours
- 1,497
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Brian Downey
- Registered owner
- B.F. Downey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Fredricton
- Destination
- Toranti
- Flight plan
- VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 910 total · 728 in this make and model · 828 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 24 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg