Piper PA-28-151 accident near Granville, Massachusetts, October 12, 2014
On October 12, 2014 at about 5:50 pm local time, a 1974 Piper PA-28-151, registered N57SH, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Granville, Massachusetts. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Deformation of the No. 1 cylinder's intake valve, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and a subsequent off-airport precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2014 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Granville, Massachusetts · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151, built 1974 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N57SH · registry record · serial 28-7415336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 20 minutes into a visual flight rules cross-country flight, the airplane's engine began running roughly and shortly thereafter began losing power. The pilot initially attempted to divert to an airport about 20 miles away, but as the engine's power output continued to gradually decrease, the pilot instead decided to perform a precautionary landing to a farm field. During the landing, the airplane touched down hard resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the engine's No. 1 cylinder compression was intermittently low, that the head of the intake valve of that cylinder was deformed, and that the valve was not seating properly. The deformation of the intake valve may have been the result of high valve seating forces that occurred as the result of improperly adjusted valve spring tension. However, the airplane's maintenance records did not note any maintenance actions to the cylinder or its internal components between the last engine overhaul and the accident. While a maintenance log entry documenting the engine overhaul indicated that new cylinder assemblies were installed at that time, it did not indicate when the spring tension for the valve was last set.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 805 hours in all; 813 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 813 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,818 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 21, 2014; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,326 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GFL Glens Falls NY
- Destination: OWD Norwood MA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from BAF, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.