North American T-28A accident near Rexburg, Idaho, August 23, 1995
On August 23, 1995 at about 4:22 pm local time, a North American T-28A, registered N9640C, was destroyed in an accident near Rexburg, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fatigue failure of the main hydraulic line and a resulting hydraulic fluid fire. Lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing contributed to the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1995 · about 4:22 pm local time
- Place
- Rexburg, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American T-28A · all T-28As on the register
- Registration
- N9640C · no longer on the register · serial 50-290N
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during climbout he began to smell smoke and turned back toward the airport. By the time he was headed back toward the airport, the cockpit was full of smoke. When he opened the canopy to get rid of the smoke, fire entered the cockpit, burning his face and hands. He secured the engine and dove toward a nearby field, where he made a gear-up forced landing. The airplane struck a ditch, broke apart, flipped onto its back and slid to a stop. A report of the wreckage examination described a 'suspicious failure' of the main hydraulic line, which 'appears to be of fatigue origin.' It was further noted that the aircraft hydraulic fluid is flammable, that 'the burn pattern was primarily exterior to the engine in the areas adjacent to the exhaust pipes', and that the 4.25-gallon hydraulic reservoir was empty.
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: 3,000 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,361 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 6, 1995; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Wright R-1820-86B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U11 at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:48 pm from IDA, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.