- Date
- February 27, 1989, 16:33 local (20:33 UTC)
- Place
- Delmont, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8471PPiper PA-24-400
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890227002809A
- Case key
- 36381
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
Failure of the #6 connecting rod.
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 Piper PA-24-400 was cruising at 2000 ft when the pilot heard a loud bang. The engine started to vibrate & it lost oil pressure. An off airport landing was made in a field & the aircraft struck trees. A post-crash examination of the engine revealed a failure of the number 6 connecting rod. In addition, the pistons were found to be larger than the manufacturer's specifications. The engine had a total time of 1400 hrs with 40.5 hrs since overhaul.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8471P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-400
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26-46
- Airframe hours
- 1,400
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-A1A, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dan Caldarale
- Registered owner
- Dan & Bonnie Coldarale
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ILG · Wilmington, DE
- Destination
- WWD · Cape May, NJ
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,338 total · 41 in this make and model · 2,149 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 36 °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.
Other investigations on N8471P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.