- Date
- September 17, 1986, 08:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Plymouth, NC
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9513PPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 7196
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During a turn to reverse direction while dispersing chemicals over a peanut crop, the engine lost power. The pilot dumped the load of chemicals and made a hard full stall forced landing in the peanut field. Inspection of the engine revealed that the left magneto impulse coupling had failed. The coupling fragments became lodged in the accessory case of the engine and separated the camshaft drive gear which rendered the engine powerless. AD78-09-07 R3 requires inspection of the impulse coupling at intervals not to exceed 500 hours time in service. At the time of the accident the subject magneto had 576 hours time in service and had not been inspected.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9513P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 257405600
- Airframe hours
- 1,720
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-62C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- B & L Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 23, 1986 · 177 hours before
- Departed
- PMZ · Plymouth, NC
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg