- Date
- February 15, 1989, 12:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Beaver Marsh, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N95286Piper PA28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890215063039A
- Case key
- 40981
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
An loss of engine power due to a failed exhaust valve. Contributing to the accident was the snow covered terrain on which a precautionary landing was made.
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 cruise flt, the eng misfired and began operating on 3 cylinders. Due to rough terrain btw himself and a known suitable airport, the plt elected to make a precautionary landing at a small snow-covered airstrip. The acft nosed over on landing in 4 ft of snow. Inspection of the engine revealed the #3 cylinder exhaust valve had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N95286
- Reported as
- Piper PA28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-25876
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wallace W. St. Clair
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- S07 · Bend, OR
- Destination
- 031 · Healdsburg, CA
- Airport
- 2S2 · Beaver Marsh State, runway 18, 4,500 × 60 ft, dirt
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 751 total · 730 in this make and model · 690 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RDM, 65 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.