Piper PA-24-250 N5532P

Summary

On 17 July 2011 at about 01:30 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N5532P was involved in an accident near Lopez, Washington, 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.

Date

17 July 2011 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lopez, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Windsock Airport (4WA4)

Coordinates

48.5414, -122.8872

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N5532P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Roche Harbor → Lake Stevens

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA340

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power due to a cracked engine case near the rear cylinder.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, he heard a loud bang and felt a vibration. The cockpit filled with smoke, and oil covered the windshield, both of which compromised the pilot's view. He opened a side vent window and regained visibility. The pilot chose to land on a nearby landing strip. During the landing roll, the pilot realized that the strip was short and wet, so he intentionally placed the airplane in a "ground slide." Before the airplane came to a stop, its left wing struck a fence post, which caused structural damage to the airplane. The pilot reported that, during his postaccident examination of the airplane, he observed a crack in the engine case near the rear cylinder on the engine's left side. No further examination was accomplished.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.