North American T-28B N28AF

Summary

On 28 October 2003 at about 22:50 local time, a North American T-28B registered N28AF was involved in an accident near Hornbrook, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 October 2003 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Hornbrook, California, United States

Coordinates

41.8675, -122.4703

Aircraft

North American T-28B

Registration

N28AF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montague → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA029

1 person died.

a catastrophic engine failure from oil exhaustion due to inadequate maintenance installation of the lubricating system hoses.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with trees during a forced landing following a loss engine power. Witnesses reported that smoke was trailing from the airplane just before it hit the trees. One witness said that the engine was sputtering, and he heard a couple of "bangs." As the airplane turned to line up with a clear landing area it clipped the tops of some trees and crashed on an embankment adjacent to a dirt road. The owner of a fixed base operator received flight instruction from the certified flight instructor (CFI) in the accident airplane immediately before the accident flight, and noted no mechanical discrepancies. Fifteen minutes later, witnesses watched the airplane takeoff on the accident flight, and reported that the airplane and engine looked and sounded normal. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the wreckage on scene and found a significant amount of oil on the right side of the airplane aft of the firewall. The engine separated from the airplane, and came to rest about 15 feet upslope from the wreckage. He noted heavy oil deposits on the bottom cylinders and accessories; the top cylinders were clean. Oil coated the accessory section of the engine. The area around the pre-oil port fitting on the accessory section of the engine was saturated in oil, and the B-nut for that oil line to fitting connection was only finger tight. An examination of the engine revealed damage and thermal distress signatures consistent with an oil starvation catastrophic failure, with no oil present inside the engine. A maintenance logbook entry noted that maintenance technicians had replaced all flexible engine hoses 21 hours prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.