Piper PA-28-180 N8456W

Summary

On 29 August 1996 at about 21:20 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N8456W, operated by Edward L. ELY, was involved in an accident near Grant City, Missouri, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 August 1996 at 21:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Grant City, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

40.4795, -94.4098

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N8456W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Edward L. ELY

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hays → Ottumwa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI96LA321

1 person was seriously injured.

low oil level which resulted in the partial loss of engine power, the pilot's intentional operation of the airplane with a known mechanical deficiency, and the hay bale. Factors relating to this accident were the owner/pilot mechanic's failure to comply with engine operating parameters pertaining to oil consumption and the pilot's decision to perform a precautionary landing in a hay field.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that the airplane was in cruise flight at 5,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), and three hours into the flight, when he noticed that the oil pressure indicator read zero. The pilot performed a precautionary landing in a circular hay field which contained numerous rolled bales of hay. 'I planned to land on an upgrade, which I did, halfway up. As I topped the grade, two hay bales appeared. I opened the throttle, with no response, hoping to clear the bales of hay.' The airplane's right wing struck one of the hay bales and nosed over. Examination of the wreckage showed no anomalies. There was no evidence of in-flight oil loss. In a later statement, the pilot said that the airplane's engine was consuming 1.5 to 2 quarts of oil an hour. The engine operator's manual states that the maximum oil consumption for the engine in a one hour time period at normal power (2,700 RPM) is .80 quarts.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.