Piper PA-32-260 accident near Kershaw, South Carolina, March 21, 1989
On March 21, 1989 at about 3:45 am local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N390G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kershaw, South Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE CRANKSHAFT DOWEL PIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO FOLLOW THE APPLICABLE SERVICE BULLETIN AND DARKNESS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 1989 · about 3:45 am local time
- Place
- Kershaw, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N390G · no longer on the register · serial 32-848
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THE ENG ABRUPTLY LOST ALL POWER DURING CRUISE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING A FORCED LNDG AT NIGHT & BOTH WINGS WERE TORN OFF. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT GEAR BOLT WAS LOOSE, AND THAT THE GEAR ALIGNMENT DOWL WAS SHEARED, WHICH HAD RESULTED IN A LOSS OF ENG GEAR TRAIN CONTINUITY. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED THE DOWEL PIN HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR'S MECHANIC, THE ENG HAD EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN STOPPAGE DUE TO A PROP STRIKE ABOUT 151 OPERATING HOURS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. LYCOMING SERVICE BULLETIN #465 OUTLINED MANDATORY INSPECTION, MODIFICATION, AND ASSY PROCEDURES FOR THE CRANK GEAR TO BE COMPLIED WITH DURING OVHL, AFTER A PROP STRIKE OR WHEN EVER GEAR TRAIN REPAIR IS REQUIRED. ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC, THE BULLETIN WAS NOT COMPLIED WITH AFTER THE PROP STRIKE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,283 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 161 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 1,178 as pilot in command; 158 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,218 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 21, 1988; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SOP Southern Pines NC at 3:00 am
- Destination: RGD Thomaston GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.