Stinson 108-3 N6152M

Summary

On 25 July 2015 at about 23:30 local time, a Stinson 108-3 registered N6152M was involved in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. One person was 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

25 July 2015 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

North Las Vegas (VGT)

Coordinates

36.2064, -115.1900

Aircraft

Stinson 108-3

Registration

N6152M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1948

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

North Las Vegas → White Hills

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA223

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power due to a degraded cylinder exhaust valve seal, which resulted in low cylinder compression.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the private pilot, after an uneventful departure in high-density altitude conditions for the personal cross-country flight, he made a left crosswind turn in the airport traffic pattern as instructed by an air traffic controller. When the airplane was about 800 ft above ground level and near the departure end of the runway, the airplane stopped climbing, which was accompanied by a vibration. The airplane likely stopped climbing due to a partial loss of engine power and the high-density altitude conditions. The pilot lowered the airplane's nose to increase airspeed and continued the turn to land on the runway, but when the airplane started to sink, he decided to land on a tarmac located straight ahead. The airplane touched down, with a tailwind, about halfway down the tarmac. The pilot deployed full flaps but was unable to slow the airplane before it impacted a fence and then nosed over. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve seal was degraded, which prevented the valve from seating properly and likely resulted in low cylinder compression and a partial loss of engine power. Further, testing of the magnetos revealed that the primary ignition lead for the No. 6 cylinder was inoperative, which likely resulted in the engine running roughly after the partial loss of power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.