Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Front Royal-Warren Co Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Front Royal, Virginia
Thursday, May 6, 1982 16:45 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
DURING FLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE DEVELOPED A NOISE WHICH THE PILOT DESCRIBED AS A HISSING. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY, WAS VECTORED TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT, AND PROCEEDED TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AT 5000 FEET WHEN OVER THE AIRPORT. DURING THE FORCED LANDING THE AIRPLANE WAS FLOWN BENEATH ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION WIRES LOCATED NEAR THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD AND IMPACTED APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. APPROXIMATELY 1/2 INCH OF THE NUMBER 1 EXHAUST RISER WAS FOUND ATTACHED TO THE CYLINDER WITH THE REMAINDER LYING IN THE ENGINE COWL LOWER SECTION. EXAMINATION REVEALED SOOT DEPOSITS ON THE ENGINE COWL ADJACENT TO THE NUMBER 1 ENGINE EXHAUST RISER. A LIGHT BROWN DISCOLORATION WAS OBSERVED ON THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER LOWER SPARK PLUG AND THE FRACTURE SURFACES OF THE SEPARATED NUMBER 1 EXHAUST RISER. THE PIPER AIRCRAFT CORPORATION INDICATED THAT MISALIGNMENT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD COULD RESULT IN A CRACKED STACK ASSEMBLY IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE STACK ASSEMBLY FLANGE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/6/1982 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1645 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | FRONT ROYAL |
| Event State | VIRGINIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | |
| Event Date Year | 1982 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | FRONT ROYAL-WARREN CO |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | FRR |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Unknown |
| Time of the weather observation | 1455 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 200 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | CHO |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 50 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 74 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 0 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 210 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 9 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 789 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 31 2002 4:04PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\ZUZL |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4903J |
| NTSB Number | ATL82DA126 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-28R-180 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-28R-180 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 28R-30621 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2500 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Unknown |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 65 |
| Airframe Hours | 2463 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | RALPH JOSEPH HUBERT |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 6303 DAHLONEGA |
| Aircraft Owner City | BETHESDA |
| Aircraft Owner State | MD |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 20816 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | RALPH JOSEPH HUBERT |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | 6303 DAHLONEGA |
| Operator City | BETHESDA |
| Operator State | MD |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 20816 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | GAI |
| Departure City | GAITHERSBURG |
| Departure State | MD |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1600 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | BPI |
| Destination City | BLACKSBURG |
| Destination State | VA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 18 2002 4:50PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 9 |
| Runway Length | 3000 |
| Runway Width | 50 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |