Piper PA-32-300 accident near Little Rock, Arkansas, May 23, 1990
On May 23, 1990 at about 11:00 am local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N301KK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Little Rock, Arkansas (Little Rock-Adams airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE POWERPLANT DUE TO A SHEARED TIMING GEAR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN AND RESTRICTED VISION DUE TO FOG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1990 · about 11:00 am local time
- Place
- Little Rock, Arkansas · Little Rock-Adams
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N301KK · registry record · serial 32-7940092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ATR RATED PLT SAID THAT HE WAS ON AN ILS INSTRUMENT APPROACH, IN IFR CONDITIONS, AND HAD JUST INTERCEPTED THE GLIDE SLOPE, WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. AN EMERGENCY, OFF AIRPORT, LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED ON A LANDFILL WITH ROUGH UNSUITABLE TERRAIN. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE TIMING GEAR HAD SHEARED.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,874 hours in all; 290 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 5,400 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,500 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 20, 1990; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLP Flippin AR at 10:15 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 am from LIT, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.