Piper PA 25-235 N94MC

Summary

On 28 June 2015 at about 17:30 local time, a Piper PA 25-235 registered N94MC, operated by Nighthawk Aerial Advertising, was involved in an accident near Galveston, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 June 2015 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Galveston, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.2653, -94.8603

Aircraft

Piper PA 25-235

Registration

N94MC

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Nighthawk Aerial Advertising

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pearland → Pearland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA297

1 person was seriously injured.

The loss of engine power due to a failure of a crankshaft idler gear shaft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while the airplane was towing a banner about 1,100 ft mean sea level, the engine lost power. The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The pilot executed a forced landing to a pasture, during which the right wing struck a fence. The airplane then came to rest upright. The pilot reported that there were no anomalies or indications before the loss of engine power. Disassembly of the engine revealed that a crankshaft idler gear shaft had failed and separated from the accessory gear case. The failed idler gear shaft and its attachment hardware were not located, and a metallurgical examination could not be conducted to determine the reason for the failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.