Piper PA-28-140 accident near Luvurne, Alabama, May 8, 1998
On May 8, 1998, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N8218N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Luvurne, Alabama (Frank Sikes airport). It was a personal 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
The loss of engine power due to a leaking engine oil seal, resulting in a forced landing, and subsequent impact with the ground. A factor in this accident was improper maintenance and checks after rebuilding and reinstalling the airplane's engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 1998
- Place
- Luvurne, Alabama · Frank Sikes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N8218N · registry record · serial 28-25548
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in cruise flight when the pilot reported to air traffic control (ATC) that he had oil on the wind screen, and was losing oil pressure. Smoke starting filling the cockpit, and he declared an emergency with ATC. The pilot said he saw oil coming from the front of the nose cowling which hit the windshield. He asked ATC for vectors to the nearest airport, 4 miles ahead. The pilot said, because of the oil on the windshield, '...I couldn't see anything, so I slipped the airplane so I could see out the left window...when I did the aircraft started to loss altitude...the oil from the left window started to flow down the left side of the airplane...now I can't see out the front...or left side window.' He attempted to land on a road, but he saw power lines across the road. He turned left base for the road, the stall warning came on, he pulled back on the yoke to keep from hitting the power lines, and missed the turn for the final approach for the road. He then elected to land in a small field. At an altitude of about 60 feet, he turned the engine off, lowered the nose real quick, and headed for the field. The field was too short to land in from his altitude, of around 10 to 20 feet off the ground. He then pulled back on the yoke to kill the airspeed, and let the airplane fall into the field. The airplane hit the ground on all three landing gears at one time, and bounced about 20 to 30 feet. The pilot stated that he rebuilt the airplane's engine and reinstalled it on the airplane in May 1998, about 4 flight hours before the accident. After he had reinstalled the engine, he ran the engine, and found that the oil pressure 'was too high.' He readjusted the oil pressure, and then flew the airplane for 10 minutes, and he said 'everything looked good.' On the day of the accident he flew to Selma, Alabama, and had no problems during the flight. After the accident, an examination of the engine and airframe revealed that the forward nose seal, on the engine had come loose, and was the source of the oil leak. The pilot said that the seal came loose due to the 'high oil pressure.' The pilot told the FAA that after he made the first engine run, and had readjusted the oil pressure, he should have rechecked the seals, and he did not.
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: 581 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,939 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 23, 1998; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEM Selma AL at 11:00 pm
- Destination: 0J6 Headland AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from TOY, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.