Plane Crash List

Waco YMF5 N14128

28 July 1997 · Lake Buena Vist, Florida, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 28 July 1997 at about 20:40 local time, a Waco YMF5 registered N14128, operated by Reilly Aviation, was involved in an accident near Lake Buena Vist, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 20:40
Classification
Accident
Location
Lake Buena Vist, Florida, United States
Coordinates
28.3705, -81.5509
Aircraft
Waco YMF5
Registration
N14128
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Reilly Aviation
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Unknown
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Kissimmee → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
MIA97LA222

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
3 0 0 0 3

Probable cause

failure of maintenance personnel to follow installation procedures pertaining to the torque of the propeller retention nut, which resulted in a loose propeller retention nut, subsequent fatigue failure of the crankshaft, and loss of engine power. The lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight, the pilot noted an engine vibration followed by a total loss of engine power. He made a forced landing, but was unable to reach suitable terrain. During the landing rollout, he observed a ditch and intentionally ground looped the airplane, but the airplane collided with a pole. Examination of the propeller revealed the propeller retention nut was hand tight. Galling was present on the propeller hub mounting flange and the rear cone. Disassembly of the engine assembly revealed the crankshaft was broken at the counterweight flange. Visual inspection of the shear surfaces on the crankcase showed tell tale benchmarks that appeared to have originated at the oil way plug threads and progressed through approximately one fifth of the crank circumference. Interviews with personnel involved with the installation revealed they had retorqued the propeller, but had not followed accepted industry practices in establishing proper hub to rear cone contact surfaces.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Waco YMF5 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
24 Oct 1996 Waco YMF5
N723SR
Punta Gorda, Florida, United States Stephen E. Raville No injuries -
6 Aug 2021 Waco YMF5-C
F-GYMF
Yvoy-le-Marron, France
no coordinates
- Serious injuries -

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
10 Apr 1997 Cessna 152
N5442B
La Crosse, Florida, United States - No injuries -
10 Apr 1997 Navion A
N40FL
Quincy, Florida, United States - No injuries -
13 Apr 1997 Diamond DA 20-A1
N124MF
Hollywood, Florida, United States Pelican Airways No injuries -
15 Jul 1997 Cessna 172N
N737EV
Lakeland, Florida, United States - No injuries -
18 Apr 1997 Cessna 150M
N63666
Ormond Beach, Florida, United States - No injuries -
19 Jul 1997 Bellanca 8GCBC
N4138Y
Bunnell, Florida, United States - Minor injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States