Piper PA28 N5542U

Summary

On 6 May 2019 at about 17:47 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N5542U, operated by Lightning Aviation, was involved in an accident near Foley, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 May 2019 at 17:47

Classification

Accident

Location

Foley, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Foley Municipal Airport (5R4)

Coordinates

30.4328, -87.7022

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N5542U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Lightning Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Foley → Foley

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19FA164

1 person died.

A partial loss of engine power due to a stuck exhaust valve and the flight instructor's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack following the loss of power, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting simulated engine-out emergency procedures in the airport traffic pattern. About 300-400 ft above ground level after takeoff, witnesses reported that the flight instructor announced on the radio that the engine had quit. Witnesses reported that the airplane then entered a nose-high, steep left turn before pitching down and impacting the ground. Postaccident examination of the airframe and flight controls revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve was stuck in the valve guide due to excessive combustion deposits. It is likely that the stuck exhaust valve resulted in a partial loss of engine power. A flight instructor who flew the accident airplane the day before the accident flight reported experiencing engine roughness when performing simulated engine-out procedures. Following that flight, a mechanic cleaned the sparkplugs, performed an engine run-up, and returned the airplane to service; however, maintenance records did not show that the engine valves were inspected for sticking at that time. Manufacturer service instructions suggested inspecting for valve sticking at regular intervals or sooner if sticking was suspected. If a valve inspection had been completed in accordance with engine manufacturer guidance the day before the accident following the report of engine roughness, it is likely that the heavy carbon deposits on the exhaust valve would have been detected. Given that the flight instructor reportedly had students trim the airplane nose-up when landing, it is possible that the airplane was trimmed nose-high at the time of takeoff and the subsequent loss of engine power. Such a trim setting would have led to excessive pitch up, resulting in a rapid loss of airspeed, an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, and an aerodynamic stall at low altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.