Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Frenchtown, New Jersey 08825
Thursday, December 21, 1989 10:35 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
ON JANUARY 16, 1989, MACHEN NACELLE MOUNTED INDUCTION AIR INTERCOOLERS WERE INSTALLED ON N6894Y. ON DECEMBER 14, 1989, AN ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED, AND A MACHEN SUPERSTAR I-680 KIT WAS INSTALLED. ON DECEMBER 21, 1989, N6894Y WAS AT 6000 FEET WHEN THE PILOT REPORTED A PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE PILOT REPORTED A FIRE IN THE RIGHT ENGINE. A COUPLE OF MINUTES LATER, HE RADIOED HE COULD NOT SHUT DOWN THE RIGHT ENGINE. AT 1034:37 THE PILOT ADVISED HIS 'RIGHT ENGINE JUST TORE OFF' AND THAT HE WAS 'IN A SPIN HEADING DOWN.' THE EXHAUST TAILPIPE OF THE LEFT TURBOCHARGER ON THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS FOUND TO HAVE SEPARATED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THE TAILPIPE FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE CRACKING. RECORDS SHOWED THAT PART I OF PIPER SERVICE BULLETIN 920 (ENGINE TAILPIPE INSPECTION) HAD BEEN COMPLETED, WHILE PART II (ADDITION OF FIRE DETECTION SYSTEM) HAD NOT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED DUE TO THE LACK OF AVAILABLE KITS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION OF THE TURBOCHARGER TAILPIPE EXHAUST STACK ON THE RIGHT ENGINE BY THE MECHANIC(S). THE FAILURE OF THE TAILPIPE PERMITTED HEAT FROM THE EXHAUST TO WEAKEN THE MAIN SPAR OF THE RIGHT WING RESULTING IN A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/21/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1035 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | FRENCHTOWN |
| Event State | NEW JERSEY |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 08825 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1040 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 300 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ABE |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 394 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 15 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 3000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Partial Obscuration |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 3 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 290 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 11 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2336 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 21 1990 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1040 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 42201 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6894Y |
| NTSB Number | NYC90FA040 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | In-flight |
| Aircraft Explosion | In-flight |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-60-602P |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-60-602P |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 62P0909816 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 0 |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | |
| Aircraft Owner City | |
| Aircraft Owner State | |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | WALTER V. WICKER, JR |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1417 LORD ASHLEY |
| Operator City | SANFORD |
| Operator State | NC |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 273308255 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | TEB |
| Departure City | TETERBORO |
| Departure State | NJ |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1015 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | RDG |
| Destination City | READING |
| Destination State | PA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |