San Antonio – Dallas

On September 4, 1987 at 10:45 PM, San Antonio – Dallas experienced a crash involving Cessna 208A Caravan, operated by Martinaire, with the event recorded near Bulverde Texas.

The flight was categorized as cargo and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

1 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 1 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. After leveling at 5,500 feet, the standby power annunciator light illuminated, followed by loss of oil pressure. The pilot turned back toward the airport, but there was a progressive loss of engine power and the prop went to a feathered position. During an emergency landing at night, the aircraft hit a power line and trees, then crashed. During an engine teardown, disassembly of the reduction gearbox scavenge pump revealed that a retaining nut and tang washer (w/i the scavenge pump) had backed off and lodged between the spur gears, which resulted in a sheared scavenge pump drive shaft. In turn, this resulted in the loss of oil pressure and allowed the prop to feather.

Aircraft reference details include registration N807LA, MSN 208-0026, year of manufacture 1985.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 29.7438°, -98.4531°.