Piper PA 32-300 N4124R

Summary

On 9 May 2015 at about 17:15 local time, a Piper PA 32-300 registered N4124R was involved in an accident near Redlands, California, United States. 5 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

9 May 2015 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Redlands, California, United States

Nearest airport

Redlands Muni (REI)

Coordinates

34.0853, -117.1464

Aircraft

Piper PA 32-300

Registration

N4124R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Redlands → Oceano

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA157

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power during takeoff due to oil starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that, about 30 seconds after takeoff, while the airplane was 250 ft above ground level, the engine began to emit an unusual sound, and he felt a vibration. He chose to land immediately and, due to obstacles ahead, he turned back toward the airport. He completed a steep turn and descended rapidly with the engine producing only partial power. Unable to maintain altitude, the airplane subsequently touched down hard on the runway. The pilot swerved to avoid oncoming traffic, which resulted in the right wing impacting a runway sign. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that there was a large hole on the top of the crankcase. Two connecting rods were separated from the crankshaft and exhibited mechanical and thermal damage, consistent with oil starvation. Oil streaks were found near the taxiway and run-up area, consistent with the airplane extruding oil before takeoff. When compressed air was directed into the oil cooler, air expelled from a small gap between mating brazed plates, indicating that oil could have extruded from that location.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.