ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 45253
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| Date: | Monday 31 March 2003 |
| Time: | 16:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six |
| Owner/operator: | Tire Barn Inc |
| Registration: | N70NZ |
| MSN: | 32-7940073 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4060 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Broken Arrow, OK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Tulsa-Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport, OK (RVS/KRVS) |
| Tulsa-Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport, OK (RVS/KRVS) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On March 31, 2003, at 1600 central standard time, a Piper PA-32-300 single-engine airplane, N70NZ, was destroyed when it impacted terrain following a loss of control near Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The airplane was registered to Tire Barn Inc. of Bixby, Oklahoma, and was operated by the pilot. The private pilot and his two passengers sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The round-robin cross-country flight originated from the Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport (RVS), Tulsa, Oklahoma at 1430.
The pilot stalled the airplane, which impacted terrain in a nose down pitch attitude after the engine experienced a total loss of power. Numerous witnesses observed smoke trailing from the airplane; one of which observed the smoke up to nine minutes prior to the accident. The pilot reported a loss of oil pressure and subsequent loss of engine power. Some witnesses observed the airplane stall, roll to the right, and descend vertically. The airplane exploded upon impact with the terrain. Post-accident examination of the engine revealed the number six connecting rod end cap failed due to oil starvation. The oil starvation resulted from a piston blow-by condition that formed in the number six cylinder. The blow-by condition resulted in crankcase pressurization and the loss of the oil through the breather tube. The blow-by condition also resulted in the burning of oil in the number six cylinder, which resulted in the smoke observed by the witnesses. The cause of the blow-by situation was not determined.
Probable Cause: Failure of the engine due to the blow-by condition in the number six cylinder for undetermined reasons, which resulted in oil starvation and eventual failure of the associated connecting rod end cap. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the forced landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent collision with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20030403X00425&key=1
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Dec-2017 18:27 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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