Piper PA-28-140 N6460W

Summary

On 25 August 1986 at about 14:10 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N6460W was involved in an accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

25 August 1986 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Pierce, Florida, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N6460W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pompano Beach → Fort Pierce

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA86LA242

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

WHILE IN CRUISE FLT THE ACFT'S ENG FAILED AND THE ACFT WAS DITCHED IN A RIVER. POST CRASH ENG EXAM REVEALED THE NO. 1 AND NO. 2 CONNECTING RODS SEPARATED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT WHEN BOTH BOLTS FAILED ON THE NO. 1 ROD AND 1 BOLT FAILED ON THE NO. 2 ROD. METALLURGICAL EXAM OF THE BOLTS REVEALED THE ROCKWELL HARDNESS OF THE NO. 1 ROD BOLTS VARIED FROM 26 TO 44 AT VARIOUS POINTS AND THE HARDNESS OF THE FAILED NO. 2 ROD BOLT VARIED FROM 41.6 TO 42.2. MICROSTRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF THE FAILED BOLTS INDICATED THE STRUCTURE VARIED FROM PRIMARILY FERRITE NEAR THE LOW HARDNESS AREAS TO PRIMARILY MARTENSITE NEAR THE HIGHER HARDNESS AREAS. THE CHANGE IN MICROSTRUCTURE INDICATES THAT ALTHOUGH BLOCKAGES WERE NOT OBVIOUS IN THE LUBRICATION SYSTEM, THE BOLTS WERE SUBJECTED TO EXCESSIVE HEAT. THE NO. 1 AND NO. 2 CONNECTING ROD CRANKSHAFT JOURNALS INDICATED EVIDENCE OF SCORING AND DARKENING.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.