Piper PA-32R-300 N589Q

Summary

On 1 January 2004 at about 17:20 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N589Q, operated by Michael Woodin, was involved in an accident near Riverside, California, United States. 4 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

1 January 2004 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Riverside, California, United States

Nearest airport

March Air Reserve Base (RIV)

Coordinates

33.8800, -117.2583

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N589Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Michael Woodin

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oceanside → Big Bear

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA084

Nobody was injured.

engine oil exhaustion due to the extrusion of an oil filter converter plate gasket and the failure of the aircraft owner to comply with a mandatory Service Bulletin and a Federal Aviation Administration emergency Airworthiness Directive.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following a catastrophic engine failure in cruise, the airplane collided with multiple ground obstacles during a forced landing in a field. The pilot reported that while in cruise flight he first noticed a "burning smell," which was followed a short time later by a low oil pressure indication. The pilot then felt a vibration, followed by a brief engine overspeed to 3,000 rpm, and then the engine lost all power. He performed a forced landing in a field and collided with multiple ground obstacles. Post accident examination of the engine at the accident site revealed that the No. 6 connecting rod had penetrated the engine crank case. An excess of engine oil was found on the bottom of the airplane. Further examination revealed an oil filter gasket, Lycoming part number LW-13388, was extruded at the base of the filter assembly and had allowed virtually all engine oil to escape. A Lycoming Mandatory Service Bulletin MSB-543, and an emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2000-18-53, that was later superceded by AD 2002-12-17, was applicable to this potential problem, and required repetitive inspections and gasket replacement or replacement of the gasket adapter plate with a different part number. The investigation could find no evidence of compliance with either AD.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.