Maule M-5-210C accident near Grayling, Alaska, April 21, 1996
On April 21, 1996 at about 1:00 am local time, a Maule M-5-210C, registered N9704N, was destroyed in an accident near Grayling, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
disintegration of the alternator drive coupling, jamming of the accessory drive gear, shearing of the oil pump drive, oil starvation, and failure of the number 6 cylinder connecting rod. Non-compliance with a manufacturer's service bulletin and soft snow were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 1996 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Grayling, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule M-5-210C · all M-5-210Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9704N · no longer on the register · serial 6030C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated private pilot departed a remote airstrip. About 1,000 feet above the ground, the engine quit. The pilot performed an emergency landing on soft snow covered terrain and the airplane nosed over. An engine examination revealed that the alternator drive coupling, consisting of a hub, retainer and bushing, fragmented within the engine. The alternator drive shaft and the oil pump gear were fractured when fragments of the retainer were enmeshed in the engine accessory gear teeth that drove both accessories. The number 6 cylinder connecting rod failed and penetrated the engine case due to a lack of lubrication. The engine, including the alternator, was overhauled 250 hours before the accident. An engine manufacturer's service bulletin recommended inspection and replacement of the standard alternator drive coupling every 500 hours. The engine manufacturer offered a one piece alternator drive coupling in which the retainer, bushing and hub were bonded together as one unit.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 698 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 663 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,850 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 1995; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KGX AK at 7:50 pm
- Destination: GAL Galena AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.