Piper PA-28-140 N15367

Summary

On 3 September 2003 at about 15:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N15367 was involved in an accident near Homedale, Idaho, 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

3 September 2003 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Homedale, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Homedale Muni (S66)

Coordinates

43.6147, -116.9214

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N15367

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ontario → Homedale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03LA183

1 person was seriously injured.

Loss of engine power during descent due to a failed cylinder head.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane's engine developed an uncharacteristic vibration while in a cruise flight configuration. The pilot stated that he diverted to a nearby airport and shortly after entering a downwind for the intended runway, the engine "quit." The pilot stated he turned directly toward runway 31 after the engine failure. Shortly after completing the turn to final, the pilot landed on the intended runway. The pilot reported that the airplane "...hit very hard." It was later discovered that the pilot's seat collapsed as a result of the hard landing. Examination of the aircraft's engine revealed a fracture in the number four cylinder head. The full thickness fracture emanated from the top sparkplug hole and traveled the circumference of the cylinder, terminating at the bottom sparkplug hole. The metallurgical examination of the cylinder revealed that the cylinder head fractured due to fatigue. The exam report indicated that multiple fatigue failure initiation sites were observed, most notably a series of cracks that initiated at each of the two sparkplug holes. Maintenance records indicated that the failed cylinder was repaired due to valve pitting. Following the repairs, the cylinder was returned to service. At the time of the repairs, the engines total time was 6,689 hours; 726 hours since major overhaul. The cylinder total time since manufacture could not be determined. At the time of the accident, the engine total time was approximately 7,260 hours; 1,319 hours since major overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.