North American T-28C accident near Arcadia, Florida, September 30, 2005
On September 30, 2005 at about 6:00 pm local time, a North American T-28C, registered N176RD, was destroyed in an accident near Arcadia, Florida. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to the failure of the master rod bearing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2005 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Arcadia, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American T-28C · all T-28Cs on the register
- Registration
- N176RD · registry record · serial 140076
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the annual inspection had recently been completed and he was flying the airplane to the North Perry Airport located in Pembroke Pines, Florida. At an altitude of 2,000 feet and after about 15 minutes en route, he noticed a light colored smoke coming from and just above the right exhaust stack. He noticed the engine temperature rising shortly thereafter, followed by the engine oil metal chip detector light illuminated. The engine started producing unusual noises and a violent vibration followed. He looked for a suitable area to make a forced landing and elected to land on a gravel road with a canal running along side it. About 150 feet into the landing roll, the right wing tip struck a high berm. The airplane snapped to the right as the nose of the airplane went partially into the canal. The aft section of the empennage partially separated and came to a stop, next to the left forward side of the airplane. Examination of the airplane's engine by an FAA inspector showed that the engine's oil system was contaminated with metal flakes. Pieces of silver and cooper colored metal were observed in the oil filter. Metal chunks of approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inches were found on the metal chip detector. He stated that the silver metal debris was consistent with material from the master rod bearing.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 168 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2005; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Curtis Wright R-1820-86 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X06 Arcadia FL at 5:40 pm
- Destination: HWO Hollywood FL
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from FMY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 MIA05LA164.