Piper PA-22-108 accident near Isle Of Wight, Virginia, July 11, 1999
On July 11, 1999 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-108, registered N4595Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Isle Of Wight, Virginia. 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 improper visual inspection of overhauled engine components by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1999 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Isle Of Wight, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-108 · all PA-22-108s on the register
- Registration
- N4595Z · no longer on the register · serial 22-8105
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the airplane began to vibrate slightly while in cruise flight, and he decided to return to the airport. The engine then began to shake violently, and the pilot performed a forced landing. The airplane landed short, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the left rear cylinder on the engine had separated from it's mounting flange. The engine had accumulated about 13 hours since overhaul, when all four cylinders were replaced on the engine with chromed cylinders purchased from an outside source, then overhauled by the engine overhaul facility. During the metallurgical examination of the failed cylinder, a fatigue origin was found near the bottom of the fin radius, between the tenth and eleventh fins from the inboard end of the cylinder barrel. Severe corrosion attack was also observed on the fin immediately adjacent to the fatigue origin location. Corrosion damage was also noted in the radius, including a corrosion pit from which the crack arrest features appeared to emanate. The corrosion pit was filled with a non-conductive substance.
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: 415 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,486 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 30, 1999; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVG Hampton Roads VA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from PHF, 20 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.