Piper PA-32-260 N4882S

Summary

On 12 February 1988 at about 01:42 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N4882S, operated by Frank J. Wathen, was involved in an accident near Laplace, Louisiana, 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

12 February 1988 at 01:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Laplace, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

New Orleans Intl. (MSY)

Coordinates

30.1597, -90.4399

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N4882S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Frank J. Wathen

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Addison → New Orleans

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW88FA064

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

PLT WAS IN LEVEL CRZ FLT AT NIGHT WHEN HE OBSERVED SPARKS AND FLAME COMING FROM THE ENG COWLING. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH AND THEN SEIZED. AFTER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND BEING CLEARED STRAIGHT IN TO A RUNWAY ABOUT 28 MILES AWAY, THE PLT DECIDED THAT HE COULD NOT MAKE THE RWY AND EXECUTED AN EMERG LNDG ON AN UNLIGHTED STRETCH OF INTERSTATE HWY. DRNG THE LNDG ROLL, THE RT WING STRUCK A GUARD RAIL AND THE ACFT VEERED RT, COLLAPSING THE MLG. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NO. 3 CYL HAD SEPARATED INTO 2 PIECES AS A RESULT OF A FATIGUE CRACK THAT HAD INITIATED AT THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE CYL. THE CAUSE OF THE FATIGUE INITIATION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE CYL FATIGUE CRACK HAD BEEN THERE FOR SOME TIME, MORE THAN THE 26 HRS THAT HAD ELAPSED SINCE THE LAST 100 HR INSP.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.