Ryan ST3KR N48742

Summary

On 25 August 2001 at about 01:20 local time, a Ryan ST3KR registered N48742 was involved in an accident near Camarillo, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 August 2001 at 01:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Camarillo, California, United States

Coordinates

34.2303, -119.0701

Aircraft

Ryan ST3KR

Registration

N48742

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Camarillo → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01LA288

Nobody was injured.

The improper fabrication/reassembly and inspection of the engine throttle control linkage during aircraft restoration by the operator, and the failure of the operator's inspection personnel to detect the error during subsequent annual inspections.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported he was giving rides in the antique aircraft to thank museum volunteers of the Confederate Air Force squadron. Before takeoff, the aircraft was fueled to capacity, which he reported was sufficient for 2 hours endurance. About 20 minutes after takeoff, while in normal cruise flight and without warning, the engine lost power. During the ensuing forced landing in an open field, the landing gear struck a culvert and a wing was damaged. Post-accident inspection revealed that a clevis on the throttle linkage separated from the rod at the cockpit control quadrant. The operator, a (civilian) military aircraft museum, believed that the throttle linkage had been field fabricated, or refurbished and installed during restoration of the World War II-era airplane, 358 flight hours prior. A rivet, intended to lock the clevis to the shaft, was never installed during the fabrication/reassembly of the linkage, and the absence of the rivet was not detected during subsequent annual inspections.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.