Mark Ewart VELOCITY STANDARD RG N907ME

Summary

On 26 November 1997 at about 20:44 local time, a Mark Ewart VELOCITY STANDARD RG registered N907ME was involved in an accident near Florence, South Carolina, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 November 1997 at 20:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Florence, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Florence Regional (FLO)

Coordinates

34.1805, -79.7797

Aircraft

Mark Ewart VELOCITY STANDARD RG

Registration

N907ME

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lantana → Wilmington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL98FA017

4 people died.

improper maintenance procedures used by the pilot/repairman, which resulted in the loosening and eventual failure of the propeller. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's self-imposed pressure to hurry to the destination, and trees in the forced landing area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following departure from an en route fuel and rest stop, the pilot reported a propeller problem and returned to the departure airport. The propeller was disassembled to repair what the pilot reported was a failure of the electrical pitch change for the propeller blades. According to witnesses, who saw and talked with the pilot as he worked on the airplane, he (the pilot) was upset over the failure, and he was anxious about hurrying to reach his destination. The pilot, who also held a homebuilt repairman certificate, did not follow the manufacturer's torquing procedures, which were to be followed after replacement of the propeller. After about an hour of flight, following the repairs, one propeller blade separated from the airplane, and a forced landing ensued. The airplane subsequently hit trees, then collided with the ground, inverted. Postcrash examination of the propeller indicated that a propeller blade had loosened during the flight, and subsequently it failed due to overload forces.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.