Piper PA28 N7463W

Summary

On 19 August 2023 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N7463W was involved in an accident near Preston, Connecticut, 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

19 August 2023 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Preston, Connecticut, United States

Coordinates

41.5233, -72.0164

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N7463W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Vineyard Haven → Sussex

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA341

Nobody was injured.

A failure of the No. 2 connecting rod, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a cross-country flight the pilot noticed the oil pressure decreased to zero. Seconds later, he noticed oil flowing up the windscreen and then the engine then lost total power. The pilot successfully landed the airplane in a field but, during the landing rollout, the right wing struck a metal pipe that was hidden in brush, separating it from the airplane. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed a portion of the engine crankcase above the No. 2 cylinder was fractured and separated from the engine. The crankshaft end of the No. 2 connecting rod was separated from the crankshaft’s No. 2 connecting rod journal. A review of the aircraft maintenance logbook revealed that the most recent annual inspection was completed 3.5 operating hours before the accident. The maintenance log entry documenting the annual inspection noted in part that the oil filter was replaced, and that the old oil filter was cut open and inspected, with no contamination noted. The most recent engine overhaul was completed almost 25 years before the date of the accident (the engine manufacturer recommended that the engine be overhauled within 12 calendar years of having entered service). Based on the available information, the loss of engine power was most likely the result of a deterioration of the engine’s internal mechanical components that had been occurring over the time since the engine was last overhauled. This ultimately resulted in the failure of the No. 2 connecting rod, and the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.