North American T-28B accident near Mesa, Arizona, February 25, 1991
On February 25, 1991 at about 7:58 pm local time, a North American T-28B, registered N138WW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
1) THE FAILURE OF THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE UPPER CRANKCASE OIL BREATHER LINE; 2) TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER CAUSED BY A LACK OF LUBRICATING OIL. A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT INADVERTANTLY STALLING THE AIRCRAFT TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH A WIRE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 1991 · about 7:58 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American T-28B · all T-28Bs on the register
- Registration
- N138WW · registry record · serial 138150
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE UPPER CRANKCASE OIL BREATHER LINE FAILED DURING CRUISE FLIGHT, WHICH ALLOWED THE ENGINE'S OIL TO VENT OVERBOARD. THE LACK OF OIL CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE AND A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER RESULTED. THE PILOT SET UP A POWER-OFF APPROACH TO A ROAD, BUT ALTERED THE AIRCRAFT'S COURSE DUE TO EXCESSIVE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD. HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT IN AN OPEN AREA. ON SHORT FINAL, THE PILOT SAW HIGH TENSION WIRES. TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE WIRES, THE PILOT PULLED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT UP. THE AIRCRAFT CLEARED THE WIRES, BUT THE AIRSPEED SLOWED CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO STALL, RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 4,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 7,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming R1820-71 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Worldwide Aeronautical Ind,Inc
The flight
- Departed from: DMA Tucson AZ at 7:20 pm
- Destination: FFZ Mesa AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:50 pm from FFZ, 4 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX91LA121.