- Date
- March 20, 1989, 22:45 local (Mar 21, 1989, 03:45 UTC)
- Place
- Kershaw, SC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N390GPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890320004199A
- Case key
- 8003
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fatigue failure of the crankshaft dowel pin. Factors related to the accident were: failure of maintenance personnel to follow the applicable service bulletin and darkness.
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
The plt rprtd the eng abruptly lost all power during cruise. Subsequently, the acft collided with trees during a forced lndg at night & both wings were torn off. An exam of the eng revealed that the crankshaft gear bolt was loose, and that the gear alignment dowl was sheared, which had resulted in a loss of eng gear train continuity. A metallurgical exam revealed the dowel pin had failed from fatigue. According to the operator's mechanic, the eng had experienced a sudden stoppage due to a prop strike about 151 operating hours before the accident. Lycoming service bulletin #465 outlined mandatory inspection, modification, and assy procedures for the crank gear to be complied with during ovhl, after a prop strike or when ever gear train repair is required. According to the mechanic, the bulletin was not complied with after the prop strike.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N390G
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-848
- Airframe hours
- 4,218
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Coastal Planes Airways
- Registered owner
- Belson, Glenn A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 21, 1988 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- SOP · Southern Pines, NC
- Destination
- RGD · Thomaston, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 25
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,283 total · 125 in this make and model · 1,178 as pilot in command · 161 in the last 90 days · 53 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.