- Date
- May 27, 2010
- Place
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N128AFNorth American T-28A
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern downwind: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20100527005909A
- Case key
- 76141
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
The failure of the master rod bearing, which resulted in a loss of engine power.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilots stated that they were flying in the traffic pattern when the airplane's engine started losing power. They were unable to reach the runway and landed short of the prepared surface. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the main landing gear had punctured both wings, damaging the spars, and two of the engine mounts had pulled loose from the firewall. Metal material was found in the outer casing of the oil filter. According to one of the airplane’s owners, the engine was later disassembled for salvage, and the master rod bearing was found to have failed.
Factual narrative
On May 27, 2010, about 2010 central daylight time, a North American T-28A airplane, N128AF, was substantially damaged following a loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing at Sundance Airpark (HSD), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot and the certified flight instructor were not injured. The local, personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilots stated they were flying in the traffic pattern when the engine started losing power. They were unable to make the runway and landed short of the prepared surface. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the main landing gear had punctured both wings, damaging the spars, and two engine mounts had pulled loose from the firewall. Fuel was found in both wings and the fuel selector was in the BOTH position. Metal material was found in the outer casing of the oil filter. According to one of the airplane’s owners, the engine was later disassembled for salvage and the master rod bearing was found failed and several of the cylinders had seized. According to maintenance records, the engine’s last major overhaul occurred on August 15, 1989. The last annual inspection occurred on December 5, 2009, at 77.7 hours time since major overhaul. According to the operator of the airplane, it had accumulated 99.9 hours time since major overhaul at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N128AF
- Reported as
- North American T-28A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 491619A
- Airframe hours
- 1,741
- Engine
- Wright C7BA SERIES, 1,475 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 5, 2009 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- HSD · Oklahoma City, OK
- Destination
- HSD · Oklahoma City, OK
- Airport
- HSD · Sundance Airpark
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 6,100 total · 10 in this make and model
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- May 26, 2009
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 12,100 total · 650 in this make and model · 9,000 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 8° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- PWA, 6 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 27, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N128AF · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.