Aviation Crash Map

Piper PA-28-161 N3560B

9 September 2010 · Buchanan, Michigan, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 9 September 2010 at about 16:51 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N3560B, operated by Donnair Aviation, was involved in an accident near Buchanan, Michigan, United States. One person was 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.

The record

Date
at 16:51
Classification
Accident
Location
Buchanan, Michigan, United States
Coordinates
41.8672, -86.2969
Aircraft
Piper PA-28-161
Registration
N3560B
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Donnair Aviation
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Dowagiac → Valparasio
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
CEN10LA531

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

A failure of the engine's No. 3 and No. 4 cylinder valve lifters for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight at 3,000 feet above mean sea level (msl) the engine lost all power. The pilot executed a forced landing in a corn field. A postaccident inspection of the engine revealed the heads on the No. 3 cylinder intake valve lifter and the No. 4 cylinder intake valve lifter were fractured with a portion of the head separated. The entire head of the No.4 cylinder exhaust valve lifter was separated from the lifter body and the fractured surface on the body was completely smeared from impact damage. The extensive damage to the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve likely indicated it was the first failure in the sequence; however, the damage precluded a determination of the failure mode. Six pieces of the separated sections from the remaining valve lifter heads were found inside the crankcase. Their fractured surfaces did not show any indications of fatigue. The engine had accumulated 1,637 hours since the overhaul. Reconditioned lifters were installed on the engine during the overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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All 9,402 records for this type

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