Piper PA 28R-201T N5966V

Summary

On 17 November 2017 at about 02:00 local time, a Piper PA 28R-201T registered N5966V was involved in an accident near Nipton, California, United States. 2 people were 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 November 2017 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Nipton, California, United States

Coordinates

35.4131, -115.7619

Aircraft

Piper PA 28R-201T

Registration

N5966V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → La Verne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

WPR18LA033

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to the detonation of the No. 5 cylinder due to excessive leaning at high power settings, which resulted in a forced landing and the subsequent hard touchdown.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About 40 minutes after takeoff and while the airplane was at a cruise altitude of 10,000 ft mean sea level, the pilot began leaning the engine mixture. After about 5 minutes, the pilot observed that the engine was running roughly, the No. 5 cylinder head temperature had spiked, and the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot could not restore engine power and subsequently made a forced landing on a highway. The airplane touched down hard, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. A postaccident engine examination confirmed continuity to the accessory section. Spark was produced on all six top spark plug leads, and thumb compression was obtained on all cylinders except the No. 5 cylinder. The top spark plugs were removed, and all except the No. 5 spark plug exhibited dark-colored combustion deposits; the No. 5 spark plug exhibited a molten, metal-like substance around the electrode. Cylinder Nos. 1 and 3 exhibited minor signs of detonation. The No. 5 cylinder exhibited signs of detonation/preignition with material missing from around the circumference of the piston face, and the No. 5 cylinder exhaust and intake valves showed signs of mechanical damage. The detonation was consistent with excessive leaning at high power settings.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.