Callair A-9 accident near Thermal, California, March 18, 1998
On March 18, 1998 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Callair A-9, registered N7211V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Thermal, California (Thermal airport). 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 failure of the oil pump drive shaft due to the installation of an incorrect oil pump crankshaft gear by maintenance personnel at the last overhaul.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 1998 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Thermal, California · Thermal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Callair A-9 · all A-9s on the register
- Registration
- N7211V · no longer on the register · serial 1248
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft lost power while towing a glider and made an emergency landing. Examination of the engine revealed that the crankcase upper surface near the number three cylinder was cracked and displaced outward. The oil pump drive coupling at the crankshaft gear displayed signatures consistent with heat distress. The oil pump drive at the oil pump would not rotate. The oil pump housing and mounting pad were free of any rotational scoring and did not display evidence of oil starvation or metal contamination. The crankshaft gear was a Lycoming part number 13S19648 and is the part number for the Lycoming IO-540 series engines. The engine in the accident aircraft is a Lycoming O-540-B2B5 and the crankshaft gear part number for this engine is 13S19647.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,458 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 1,325 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,507 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 26, 1997; 100 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B2B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRM at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 am from KTR
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.
Other NTSB records under N7211V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.