Piper PA32 N4592X

Summary

On 28 September 2018 at about 17:25 local time, a Piper PA32 registered N4592X was involved in an accident near Bartow, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

28 September 2018 at 17:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Bartow, Florida, United States

Coordinates

27.9372, -81.8556

Aircraft

Piper PA32

Registration

N4592X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boca Raton → Tampa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA265

2 people had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power after the separation of the No. 3 cylinder from the crankcase due to improper maintenance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine began to run roughly. The No. 3 cylinder then separated from the airplane; the engine lost all power, and oil began to cover the windshield. The pilot flew via instruments and landed in a marsh; the right wing of the airplane separated after contacting a tree. Postaccident engine examination revealed impact marks on the engine crankcase where the No. 3 cylinder would have been secured. The marks were consistent with the cylinder impacting the case multiple times. The examination also revealed that several of the nuts on other cylinders were well below the required 50 ft-lbs of torque. The engine's most recent overhaul was completed about 12 years before the accident, and the engine had accrued about 366 hours since that overhaul; there was no record of cylinder removal or replacement since the engine overhaul. It is likely that undertorqued cylinder nuts allowed the cylinder to come loose and separate from the engine. The investigation could not determine if the undertorqued condition of the cylinder nuts was the result of an improper overhaul or possible improper undocumented maintenance after the overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.