Piper PA-32-260 N997TB

Summary

On 31 December 2011 at about 17:20 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N997TB, operated by Sam Pfeiffer, Jr., was involved in an accident near Elk Rapids, Michigan, United States. 5 people were 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

31 December 2011 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Elk Rapids, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

44.9089, -85.4100

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N997TB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Sam Pfeiffer, Jr.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Traverse City → Traverse City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA118

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to the failure of the exhaust valve.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight when the engine started to run rough and vibrate. He adjusted and checked the fuel mixture, throttle, magnetos, boost pump, and carburetor heat, but the vibration continued to get worse. He executed a forced landing to a field, but the airplane impacted a line of trees at the end of the field. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 1 cylinder exhaust valve was broken with about 50 percent of the valve face missing. The engine logbooks revealed that the engine was overhauled in 1994 and had accumulated 1,972.3 hours since the last overhaul. The engine manufacturer recommends that the engine be overhauled every 2,000 hours or after 12 years since last overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.