- Date
- April 27, 1990, 09:27 local (14:27 UTC)
- Place
- Tulsa, OK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7732JPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900427016659A
- Case key
- 23126
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
An engine failure due to a disconnect in the magneto drive train caused by the crankshaft gear not being properly installed and secured during a recent engine overhaul.
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
While on final, the engine quit without warning and the pilot was forced to execute a forced landing into a heavily wooded bird sanctuary. Examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft gear attachment bolt was loose with 0.196 inches of play and the dowel pin was sheared. Gear installation instructions called for the gear to be seated with a drift and hammer with no more than 0.001 inches of clearance. Otherwise, the dowel pin would be offset and work. Both the bolt and the dowel pin showed evidence of working. Shearing of the crankshaft dowel pin would have released the gear to rotate about the bolt, thus disconnecting the gear and the idler gears which transmitted torque to the magnetos. Secondary damage was observed in the left magneto. Maintenance records indicated that the engine had been overhauled 88.7 hours prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7732J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-1135
- Airframe hours
- 6,106
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Martinaire
- Registered owner
- Galhoun, John L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · April 23, 1990 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- DAL · Dallas, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- TWL · Tulsa Int., runway 17R, 6,101 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 68
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 210 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.