Piper PA-32-260 accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 27, 1990
On April 27, 1990 at about 2:27 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N7732J, was destroyed in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Tulsa Int. airport). 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
AN ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO A DISCONNECT IN THE MAGNETO DRIVE TRAIN CAUSED BY THE CRANKSHAFT GEAR NOT BEING PROPERLY INSTALLED AND SECURED DURING A RECENT ENGINE OVERHAUL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 1990 · about 2:27 pm local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Tulsa Int. · 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
- N7732J · no longer on the register · serial 32-1135
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON FINAL, THE ENGINE QUIT WITHOUT WARNING AND THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO EXECUTE A FORCED LANDING INTO A HEAVILY WOODED BIRD SANCTUARY. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT GEAR ATTACHMENT BOLT WAS LOOSE WITH 0.196 INCHES OF PLAY AND THE DOWEL PIN WAS SHEARED. GEAR INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS CALLED FOR THE GEAR TO BE SEATED WITH A DRIFT AND HAMMER WITH NO MORE THAN 0.001 INCHES OF CLEARANCE. OTHERWISE, THE DOWEL PIN WOULD BE OFFSET AND WORK. BOTH THE BOLT AND THE DOWEL PIN SHOWED EVIDENCE OF WORKING. SHEARING OF THE CRANKSHAFT DOWEL PIN WOULD HAVE RELEASED THE GEAR TO ROTATE ABOUT THE BOLT, THUS DISCONNECTING THE GEAR AND THE IDLER GEARS WHICH TRANSMITTED TORQUE TO THE MAGNETOS. SECONDARY DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED IN THE LEFT MAGNETO. MAINTENANCE RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD BEEN OVERHAULED 88.7 HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 12,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,106 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 23, 1990; 18 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: DAL Dallas TX at 12:40 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17R, 6,101 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:38 pm from TUL
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.