Piper PA-46-310P N4389W

Summary

On 2 January 2000 at about 22:11 local time, a Piper PA-46-310P registered N4389W was involved in an accident near Odessa, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 January 2000 at 22:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Odessa, Texas, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-46-310P

Registration

N4389W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Odessa → Clovis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW00LA057

Nobody was injured.

The separation of the #1 piston pin due to fatigue, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was climbing through 9,000 feet, after departure, when the engine lost total power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful and executed a forced landing north of the departure airport. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that there was a hole in the engine crankcase behind the #2 cylinder and the #1 piston pin had separated at its midpoint. Further, examination of the engine revealed that the #1 piston pin failed as a result of fatigue and the #1 connecting rod bushing (piston pin end) was found fragmented in the oil sump.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.