Piper PA-32-300 accident near Sedona, Arizona, October 16, 1988
On October 16, 1988 at about 5:17 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N4113R, was destroyed in an accident near Sedona, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 5 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
TOTAL FAILURE OF THE MAGNETO'S IMPULSE COUPLING WHICH RESULTED IN A SHEARING OF THE CRANKSHAFT'S IDLER GEAR TEETH AND THE CRANKSHAFT DOWEL PIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 1988 · about 5:17 pm local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4113R · no longer on the register · serial 32-40432
- 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
THE PLT & 4 FARE-PAYING PAX WERE ENROUTE TO THE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK FOR AERIAL SIGHTSEEING. AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE LEFT MAGNETO (MAG) RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE PWR. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN & WAS DESTROYED BY GROUND FIRE. THE MAG WAS SUBJECT TO AD 78-09-07 R3 WHICH ADDRESSED IMPULSE COUPLING FAILURE. UPON EXAM IT WAS NOT FOUND TO HAVE BEEN IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AD. THE AIR TAXI COMPANY HAD TWO EMPLOYEES; AN OWNER/PRESIDENT/PILOT AND A DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE/MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC ACKNOWLEDEGED HE FAILED TO FOLLOW THE CURRECT GUIDELINE IN THE CORRECT AD. AS A RESULT, THE IMPULSE COUPLING JAMMED WHEN THE FLYWEIGHT TO STOP PIN CLEARANCE BECAME ZERO. THIS ACTION SHEARED OFF TEETH ON THE ENGINE'S CRANKSHAFT GEAR & DOWEL PIN.
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: 25,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,026 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 29, 1988; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Northern Arizona Aircraft
The flight
- Departed from: SEZ Sedona AZ at 5:02 pm
- Destination: SEZ Sedona AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.