Plane Crash List

Piper PA-28R-200 N2080T

4 September 1991 · Redwood City, California, United States · Serious injuries

Summary

On 4 September 1991 at about 02:15 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N2080T, operated by Crawford, Jeffrey C., was involved in an accident near Redwood City, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 02:15
Classification
Accident
Location
Redwood City, California, United States
Coordinates
37.4007, -122.2907
Aircraft
Piper PA-28R-200
Registration
N2080T
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Crawford, Jeffrey C.
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
San Carlos → Salinas
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
LAX91LA382

People

1 person was seriously injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 1 0 0

Probable cause

THE FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE NUMBER TWO CONNECTING ROD AND ROD CAP DUE TO AN ENGINE OVERSPEED CONDITION WHICH THE RODS AND ROD CAPS WERE EXPOSED AT SOME UNDETERMINED HISTORICAL POINT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE 400 HOUR SINCE FACTORY REMANUFACTURED ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, THEN IT QUIT WITH A LOUD 'BANG.' THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE A FORCED LANDING IN A PASTURE AREA WHEN THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. DISASSEMBLY OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER TWO CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD AND ITS ASSOCIATED ROD CAP HAD FAILED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF ALL CONNECTING RODS AND CAPS WAS PERFORMED. THE #2 ROD AND CAP FAILED DUE TO A FATIGUE FRACTURE WITH AN ORIGIN ON THE BORE SURFACE. AREAS OF GALLING WERE FOUND ON BOTH THE ROD CAP AND THE CONNECTING ROD BORE. CRACKS WERE IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE GALLED AREA ON THE NUMBER TWO CONNECTING ROD BORE. EXAMINATION OF THE THREE REMAINING CONNECTING RODS AND THEIR CAPS REVEALED GALLED AREAS WITHIN THE BORES. THE METALLURGISTS STATED THAT HE HAD OBSERVED SIMILAR FAILURES ON HELICOPTER PISTON ENGINES WHICH WERE KNOWN TO HAVE HAD AN OVERSPEED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-28R accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
14 May 1991 Piper PA-28R-201
N804ND
Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States University of North Dakota No injuries -
22 Mar 1991 Piper PA-28R-200
N7523C
Ashland, Alabama, United States Sunny Skies, Inc. Fatal 4
5 Jun 1991 Piper PA-28R-200
N111CP
Pulaski, Wisconsin, United States Ernestine A. Beyer No injuries -
29 Mar 1991 Piper PA-28R-180
N7454J
New Port Richey, Florida, United States Wieser, Carol A. No injuries -
27 Mar 1991 Piper PA-28R-200
N55516
Sanford, Florida, United States Comair Aviation Academy, Inc. No injuries -
29 Nov 1991 Piper PA-28R-201
N80553
Willmar, Minnesota, United States Thunderbird Aniation No injuries -

All 1,342 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
20 Jul 1991 Cessna C-172P
N54694
Hesperia, California, United States South Bay Aviation No injuries -
24 Jul 1991 Cessna 172N
N5352D
Napa, California, United States Bridgeford Flying SVC. No injuries -
24 Jul 1991 Beechcraft 76
N6045M
Sacramento, California, United States Altair Aviation Corp. No injuries -
27 Jul 1991 Ayres S2R
N3087D
Visalia, California, United States Gilbert Aviation Industries Serious injuries -
1 Aug 1991 Cessna 421C
N98455
Auburn, California, United States Edward Mueller No injuries -
2 Aug 1991 Champion 7GCBC
N1693G
Lake Elsinore, California, United States
no coordinates
Halbeisen, John F Fatal 2

All 170,864 records in United States