- Date
- June 2, 1992, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mehoopany, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N261PParrish, Paul SKY Bolt
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920602017949A
- Case key
- 37034
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 pilot inadvertently stalled and spun the airplane at too low an altitude to allow recovery. Contributing to the accident was an engine vibration caused by a broken number 3 exhaust valve. The exhaust valve caused extensive internal damage to the engine.
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
At cruise altitude the engine started to vibrate. During the force landing the pilot felt that the speed of the airplane was too fast so elected to go around and attempt another approach. The pilot turned the airplane away from the intended landing site, and while in the turn the airplane stalled and spun into the ground. An examination of the engine revealed that the number 3 exhaust valve failed due to corrosion and extensive internal damage was found in the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N261P
- Reported as
- Parrish, Paul SKY Bolt
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0061PA
- Airframe hours
- 1,674
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Linda Schneider
- Registered owner
- Linda Schneider
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 20, 1992 · 59 hours before
- Departed
- 76N · Tunkhannock, PA
- Destination
- 76N
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 159 total · 59 in this make and model · 156 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.