Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Thibodaux, Louisiana, March 4, 1997
On March 4, 1997 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N2654T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Thibodaux, Louisiana. 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
The failure of maintenance personnel to comply with an airworthiness directive which specified the correct type of oil quick drain valve for this airplane, the installation of an incorrect oil quick drain valve by maintenance personnel, and the subsequent activation of the valve during landing gear retraction which resulted in a total loss of engine oil and engine failure. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1997 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Thibodaux, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N2654T · registry record · serial 28R-7135223
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the airplane's first flight following the installation of an overhauled engine, the engine lost power about 5 minutes after takeoff, and the pilot executed a wheels-up forced landing on a road. During the landing roll, the airplane's left wing struck a barrel. Examination revealed that when the landing gear was retracted the nose gear torque links had contacted the engine oil quick drain valve activating the valve, which resulted in the loss of all engine oil and engine seizure. Airworthiness directive (AD) 81-11-02 R1, effective October 2, 1981, applied to this airplane and required that if an oil quick drain valve was installed it must be a Piper Part No. 492-172V. The oil quick drain valve installed was found to be a Curtis model CCA-1700.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 242 hours in all; 205 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 175 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,829 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 1995; 166 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LA37 at 6:35 pm
- Destination: 0LA2 Prairieville LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 195° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N2654T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.