Piper PA28 N6754J

Summary

On 30 July 2019 at about 21:30 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N6754J was involved in an accident near Fairhope, Alabama, 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

30 July 2019 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairhope, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

30.5147, -87.8719

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N6754J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairhope → Foley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA265

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the No. 3 exhaust valve and the subsequent loss of engine power due to engine operation with an excessively lean fuel mixture over a period of time.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot had performed several touch-and-go landings; after the final landing, they departed for another airport. Shortly after takeoff, the engine started to vibrate severely and then lost power. The instructor performed a forced landing in a field, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane's left wing. Postaccident engine examination revealed a failed No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve and extensive erosion on the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve. The engine had accumulated 2,600 hours since the last overhaul, which was 600 hours beyond the manufacturer's recommended time before overhaul. The flight instructor reported that the leaning technique used while the airplane was on the ground was to lean the mixture during taxi or engine idle. For the engine run-up, they would use a full rich mixture. He added that during flight maneuvers at or below 3,000 ft mean sea level, they would not lean the mixture. However, the exhaust valve erosion is consistent with the engine being operated with an excessively lean fuel mixture over an extended period.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.