Piper PA-32R-300 N8554C

Summary

On 28 October 1998 at about 23:24 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N8554C was involved in an accident near Roswell, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. One person on the ground also died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 October 1998 at 23:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Roswell, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Dekalb-Peachtree (PDK)

Coordinates

34.0295, -84.3506

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N8554C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bessemer → Gainesville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ATL99FA011

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of engine power due to the failure of the number five connecting rod assembly as a result of fatigue cracks that were initiated in areas of galling. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While transiting the Atlanta area, the commercial rated pilot reported a sudden loss of engine oil pressure and a subsequent severe vibration to Atlanta Approach Control. Approach Control vectored the flight toward the Dekalb-Peachtree airport for an emergency landing. Due to the loss of power, the pilot was unable to maintain altitude and was force landed on a highway. The pilot left the airplane in the cruise configuration and landed with wheels and flaps retracted. Upon landing, the aircraft slid on the road contacting a Jeep Cherokee, then impacting a Mazda 626. After the impact with the Mazda, the aircraft and the automobile caught fire destroying both. The pilot received serious injuries while the driver of the automobile was fatally injured. During a post crash disassembly of the engine, the number five connecting rod was found fractured through the rod shoulder. A metallurgical examination of the connecting rod was performed, during which the #5 rod was found to have fatigue cracks originating at or near areas of galling. Connecting rods are routinely re-used following inspections for evidence of galling. The engine had operated to within about 60 hours of its recommended time between overhauls, with the broken rod installed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.