Piper PA-28-235 N56318

Summary

On 21 November 2003 at about 14:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N56318 was involved in an accident near Sweetwater, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 November 2003 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sweetwater, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Avenger Field (SWW)

Coordinates

32.4672, -100.4664

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N56318

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hobbs → Abilene

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW04LA027

Nobody was injured.

the loss of engine power due to a failure of the crankshaft bolt. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight, the engine lost power and the airplane impacted the terrain short of the alternate airport. The 123-hour private pilot stated the engine "suddenly stopped producing power." He attempted to restart the engine; however, he was not successful. During the forced landing, "strong surface winds came up," and the airplane impacted the terrain approximately 450 feet short of the runway. The airplane then struck trees, a fence, two poles and came to rest on the runway surface. Examination of the engine revealed the crankshaft bolt and crankshaft dowel pin had fractured and failed. The bolt fracture surfaces displayed signatures consistent with fatigue. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated approximately 576 hours since major overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.