Republic RC 3 accident near Whitewright, Texas, December 28, 1995
On December 28, 1995 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Republic RC 3, registered N6127K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Whitewright, Texas. 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
The separation of a spark plug and 4 other spark plugs being 'finger' tight as a result of undertorquing by maintenance personnel when they were reinstalled following inspection. A factor was a lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 1995 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Whitewright, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Republic RC 3 · all RC 3s on the register
- Registration
- N6127K · no longer on the register · serial 313
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, the airplane's engine 'stopped and then started up again.' Soon after, the engine started to lose power again. A forced landing was made. When the aircraft was inspected, it was found that one of the spark plugs in each of the number 1, 4, 5, and 6 cylinders were 'finger' tight, and the second spark plug in the number 6 cylinder had completely separated from the cylinder. These plugs were removed by a mechanic for the pre-buy inspection prior to the pilots purchase of the airplane.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,547 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 25, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Franklin 6A8-215-B8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48TX Whiteright TX at 9:50 pm
- Destination: P10 Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 pm from F39, 12 miles away
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.