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FTW89LA144

1989-08-04 · MCKINNEY, Texas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport TKI

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

TOTAL FAILURE OF THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY/ROCKER ARM/TAPPET SHAFT.

Factual narrative

DURING A NIGHT CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND DURING THE FORCED LANDING, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES AND THEN THE TERRAIN. DURING A PARTIAL TEARDOWN OF THE ENGINE, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE NUMBER 3 CYLINDER EXHAUST VALVE ROCKER ARM SHAFT HAD BROKEN. THERE WAS ALSO A LARGE GAP BETWEEN THE ROCKER ARM AND THE EXHAUST VALVE STEM. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_FTW89LA144.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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