Piper PA-28-161 incident near New Smyrna Bch, Florida, September 10, 1995
On September 10, 1995 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N150ER, was involved in an incident near New Smyrna Bch, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fatigue failure of the piston assembly (piston and piston pin).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 1995 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Smyrna Bch, Florida · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N150ER · no longer on the register · serial 2841146
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an instructional flight, the flight instructor (CFI) retarded the throttle to idle to simulate an engine failure. The exercise was discontinued at about 500 feet with application of full power. While climbing through about 1,100 feet, the engine suddenly began to run rough, and the tachometer indicated 2,000 rpm. Attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful. The CFI took the controls and landed uneventfully at a nearby airport. Examination of the engine revealed that a piston and piston pin in the #2 cylinder had failed. Metallurgical examination of the failed components revealed that both failed due to fatigue. The failed components had accumulated about 316.9 hours since installation during a major engine overhaul.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 682 hours in all; 93 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 578 as pilot in command; 163 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,745 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 22, 1995; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 34J
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:42 pm from DAB, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N150ER 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.