Piper PA-28-235 N8608W
20 January 2011 · San Luis Obispo, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 January 2011 at about 21:17 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N8608W, operated by Elliott Clifford R Trustee, was involved in an accident near San Luis Obispo, California, 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 21:17
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Luis Obispo, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- San Luis County Airport (SBP)
- Coordinates
- 35.2372, -120.5092
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-235
- Registration
- N8608W
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Elliott Clifford R Trustee
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Luis Obispo → San Luis Obispo
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR11LA102
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The loss of engine power due to the fatigue fracture of one attachment bolt for the left idler gear shaft, which resulted from an insufficient preload on both attachment bolts.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, while on approach to the runway, the vacuum pump failed, then the engine lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a field, and the airplane impacted multiple metal poles. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the left magneto drive gear and the left idler gear shaft were separated from their mount. Both of the attachment bolts for the left idler gear shaft were separated from the crankcase, and their respective bolt bores were elongated. One of the attachment bolts for the left idler gear shaft was fractured, and metallurgical examination revealed that the fracture surface was consistent with fatigue. Metallurgical analysis determined that the fatigue was due to a lack of sufficient preload on the bolts. Maintenance records showed that the last logged maintenance activity in which the bolts could have been manipulated was performed about 20 years before the accident. The engine had accumulated about 1,400 operating hours since that time.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 2011 | Piper PA-28-181 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | TransPac Aviation Academy | Fatal | 3 |
| 24 Sep 2011 | Piper PA-28-181 | Texarkana, Arkansas, United States | Texarkana Flying Club Inc | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2011 | Piper PA-28-161 | Crystal River, Florida, United States | Tailwheels Etc | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2011 | Piper PA-28-140 | Adams, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 2011 | Piper PA-28-180 | Lake Wales, Florida, United States | Lycett James T | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 2011 | Piper PA 28 | Montpellier, France | - | Unknown | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Nov 2011 | Cessna 172K | Napa, California, United States | Stratus Aviation, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 26 Feb 2011 | Hiller UH-12E | Colusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2011 | Cessna 172P | Palo Alto, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Feb 2011 | Cessna A150M | Grass Valley, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2011 | Grumman G-164A | Buttonwillow, California, United States | Vince Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 26 Feb 2011 | Cessna 140A | Newark, California, United States | Morris Kenneth E | No injuries | - |