Piper PA-32-300 N8951N

Summary

On 13 February 1996 at about 18:04 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N8951N, operated by Florida Dept. of Agriculture, was involved in an accident near Windermere, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 February 1996 at 18:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Windermere, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.4897, -81.5300

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N8951N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Florida Dept. of Agriculture

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kissimmee → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL96TA047

1 person had minor injuries.

the use of improper connecting rod bolts, failure of the overhaul facility to record the correct overhaul date on the work orders for the stored connecting rod assemblies, and subsequent failure of the connecting rod bolts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight departed Kissimmee, Florida, on a forest fire spotting mission. The engine began to run rough and lost power. The airplane landed in an orange grove, striking a tree. An engine examination revealed that improper connecting rod bolts had been used in the engine. The bolts in two connecting rods failed, resulting in the failure of the engine. Investigation determined that the bolts were manufactured in the '80s and became available in the U.S. market in February 1994. The bolts were obtained by a repair station on June 1994 and installed in connecting rod assemblies that were in storage. The overhaul date on the work order for the stored rod assemblies was not changed at that time, and it continued to indicate an overhaul date of 2/9/94. The stored rod assemblies were then installed in the engine during an overhaul in October 1994. In March 1995, an AD was issued to inspect engines with connecting rod bolts installed on or since 2/15/94. The AD was not complied with on the engine because the repair station certified that the rod assemblies had been overhauled on 2/9/94, before the effective date of the AD.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.