NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW89LA165
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
FAILURE OF THE #3 EXHAUST VALVE DUE TO EXPOSURE TO OVERTEMPERATURE OPERATING CONDITIONS.
Factual narrative
THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL POWER LOSS, WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 2,500 MSL OVER AN AIRPARK. AFTER REDUCING POWER AND APPLYING CARBURETOR HEAT, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO EXECUTE A FORCE LANDING TO THE AIRPARK. HOWEVER, SHE OVERSHOT AND LANDED IN A WET PLOWED FIELD BEYOND THE END OF THE RUNWAY. DURING ROLL OUT, THE GEAR DUG INTO THE SOFT TERRAIN AND THE AIRPLANE FLIPPED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT A PIECE OF THE #3 EXHAUST VALVE HAD SEPARATED AND HAD BEEN INGESTED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED VALVE INDICATED THAT IT HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO HIGH TEMPERATURE OPERATION. HOWEVER, THE EXACT ORIGIN OF THE SEPARATION WAS NOT DETERMINED DUE TO MASKING OF THE FRACTURE SURFACES, ACCUMULATION OF EXHAUST DEPOSITS AND POST-SEPARATION MECHANICAL DAMAGE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_FTW89LA165.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.