Piper PA 28-180 N30865
24 October 2013 · Big Creek, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 24 October 2013 at about 17:00 local time, a Piper PA 28-180 registered N30865, operated by Peterson Arnie D, was involved in an accident near Big Creek, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 17:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Big Creek, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.1836, -119.1386
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 28-180
- Registration
- N30865
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Peterson Arnie D
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Bishop → Fresno
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR14LA031
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The loss of engine power due to the improper installation of an oil pressure sending unit by the pilot, who was not a certificated mechanic, which resulted in a forced landing in mountainous terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot, who was a co-owner of the airplane, reported to an air traffic controller about 1 hour into a cross-country flight over mountainous terrain that the engine had lost oil pressure and then power. The pilot performed a forced landing into trees. Postaccident examination revealed that the loss of engine power resulted from oil starvation due to oil leaking from a fractured fitting at the oil pressure gauge/sending unit port on the engine's rear accessory case. An oil pressure sending unit, which the pilot, who was not a certificated mechanic, had installed at this location just before the accident flight, was found dangling by its electrical wiring harness and not supported. The sending unit was not approved for installation on this airplane. It is likely that the fitting fractured because of vibration due to the sending unit's lack of support. The engine operating time between the installation of the sending unit and the fitting fracture was about 1 hour.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Feb 2013 | Piper PA-28-140 | Sunnyside, Washington, United States | John Gilman | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 2013 | Piper PA-28-140 | Mosca, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Oct 2013 | Piper PA 28-150 | Newport, New Hampshire, United States | Bret Lukezic | No injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 2013 | Piper PA 28-180 | Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2013 | Piper PA-28-181 | Columbus, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Nov 2013 | Piper PA 28-150 | Concordia, Kansas, United States | Link Gerald L | No injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Feb 2013 | Bell 206B | Acton, California, United States | Orbic Air | Fatal | 3 |
| 10 Feb 2013 | Bell 206B | Shandon, California, United States | Sycan Corp DBA | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 2013 | Grumman American Avn AA 1C | Hemet, California, United States | William Ralph Eddings | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 2013 | St Clair LANCAIR 360 | Williams, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Feb 2013 | Avions Fairey TIPSY NIPPER T-66 | Winters, California, United States | Sharman Enterprises Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 Sep 2013 | Cessna 172N | Long Beach, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |