Waco UPF-7 accident near Staten Island, New York, September 29, 1995
On September 29, 1995 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Waco UPF-7, registered N167K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Staten Island, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the propeller blade due to fatigue, which resulted in severe vibration, subsequent separation of the engine, and a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1995 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Staten Island, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF-7 · all UPF-7s on the register
- Registration
- N167K · no longer on the register · serial 5586
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was returning from a local sightseeing flight. While cruising at about 800 feet mean sea level, a section of a propeller blade separated. This was followed by a severe vibration, and the engine separate from the aircraft. The pilot stated, 'I saw after landing that the engine was hanging down between the landing gear struts...held on by the throttle linkage, fuel line and heavy duty starter wire.' The pilot performed a forced landing in a parking lot. Examination of the fractured propeller blade revealed a fatigue origin area at the point of separation. Additionally, there was an area of mechanical damage on the flat face of the blade where the fatigue cracking initiated.
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
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,136 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 1995; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental R670-5W670-6A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3N6 Old Bridge NJ at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.