Piper PA28 N6179U

Summary

On 4 October 2020 at about 16:30 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N6179U was involved in an accident near Fulton, New York, United States. One person was on board and one 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

4 October 2020 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fulton, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Oswego County (FZY)

Coordinates

43.3508, -76.3881

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N6179U

Category

Airplane

Year built

164

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA006

1 person had minor injuries.

The mechanic’s improper maintenance, which resulted in the crankshaft expansion plug dislodging in flight and a subsequent forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff, the engine crankshaft expansion plug dislodged, and oil started to cover the airplane’s windscreen. The pilot attempted to return to, and land on the departure runway; however, the airplane subsequently touched down more than halfway down the runway. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane and it went off the runway and struck a chain link fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and both wings. The crankshaft expansion plug was installed during maintenance that was performed 3 days prior to the accident. The mechanic who performed the maintenance stated that he installed the crankshaft plug using a ball peen hammer; instead of following the procedures outlined by the engine manufacturer; which called for the use of a special tool to properly deform and seat the plug. The mechanic said that he has used a ball peen hammer in the past to install crankshaft plugs with success; however, in this instance, the plug did not seat properly, dislodged, and allowed oil to exit the end of the crankshaft in flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.