Piper PA-28-235 N9296W

Summary

On 27 September 1987 at about 21:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N9296W, operated by James Perdue, was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

27 September 1987 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

West Houston (T86)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N9296W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

James Perdue

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW87FA225

1 person was seriously 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

PLT EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING INTO TREES AFTER HE EXPERIENCED AN INFLIGHT FIRE AND ENG FAILURE SHORTLY AFTER T/O. THE LNDG IN THE TREES WAS EXECUTED AFTER THE PLT DECIDED THAT HE COULD NOT MAKE IT TO A CLEAR AREA. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE FIRE HAD INITIATED IN THE AREA OF THE MUFFLER AND CARBURETOR. EXAMINATION OF THE MUFFLER REVEALED THAT IT HAD WRINKLED AND CRACKED AS A RESULT OF SEVERE OXIDATION AND NORMAL HEAT EXPANSION. ANALYSIS OF THE EXHAUST DEPOSITS ON THE CRACK SURFACES AND THE EXTERIOR SKIN OF THE MUFFLER INDICATED THAT THE MUFFLER HAD BEEN CRACKED FOR SOME TIME PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE ACFT HAD RECEIVED AN ANNUAL 278 HRS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, BUT HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED FOR THE 3 YRS PRIOR TO THE LAST INSPECTION. THERE WERE NO RECORDS SHOWING WHERE THE MUFFLER HAD EVER BEEN OVERHAULED OR REPLACED DURING THE ACFT'S 2,650 HR HISTORY. MFGR RECOMMENDS MUFFLER REPLACEMENT EVERY 1,000 HRS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.