- Date
- October 20, 1991, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Monticello, UT
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1087HPiper PA-28R-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911020047179A
- Case key
- 41607
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Inadequate maintenance/overhaul of the engine, and subsequent failure of the #5 piston (hole burned in piston), due to pre-ignition and/or detonation. Rough/uneven terrain in the emergency landing area was a related factor.
Analysis
During cruise flight, about 5 min after passing the Monticello airport, the engine began running rough. The pilot reversed course to return to the airport for a precautionary landing. As he was turning onto base leg, the engine stopped running. Subsequently, the aircraft was damaged during a forced landing about 50 yards short of the runway. An exam of the engine revealed there was no oil in the crankcase, a hole was burned in the #5 piston from pre-ignition/detonation, there was evidence of arcing of the left mag and contamination in the right mag, and the fuel system was improperly adjusted. The acft had 88 hours of flight time, since a major overhaul of the engine was completed on 7/12/91.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1087H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-201T (PA-28R-201)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7703013
- Airframe hours
- 5,030
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James J. Blount Jr.
- Registered owner
- James J. Blount Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 12, 1991 · 88 hours before
- Departed
- BDG · Blanding, UT
- Destination
- RKS · Rock Springs, WY
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- U43 · Monticello, runway 34, 4,817 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,179 total · 166 in this make and model · 1,110 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 90 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GJT, 80 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.
Other investigations on N1087H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.