Piper PA32-300 accident near New Iberia, Louisiana, November 20, 1998
On November 20, 1998 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Piper PA32-300, registered N2881U, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Iberia, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The mechanic's failure to properly torque the connecting rod's bolt and nut during engine overhaul. 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
- November 20, 1998 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- New Iberia, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32-300 · all PA32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N2881U · no longer on the register · serial 32-7940179
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's engine experienced a catastrophic failure during cruise climb. The airplane impacted a tree and fence during the forced landing near a residential area. The airplane's maintenance records revealed that the engine had been overhauled on August 20, 1991, and had accumulated 1,423.49 hours since then. Examination of the engine revealed that the number 6 connecting rod had failed in 'overload' and was a 'secondary failure.' One of the connecting rod's bolt and nut assemblies was then examined. The nut was cut and split in the threaded area. The first two threads of the nut, adjacent to the contact surface, were found 'stripped.' Additionally, 'no scuff marks were observed' on the copper plating in the undamaged portion of the nut contact surface. It was determined that the two stripped threads were the result of the nut backing off during operation, and the lack of a scuff mark on the nut's contact surface was the result of it being improperly torqued during installation.
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: 1,550 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,550 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,392 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 1998; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K165 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARA New Iberia LA at 2:15 pm
- Destination: NEW New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1.2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 100 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:20 pm from ARA, 3 miles away
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.
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.