Smith Ted Aerostar TS-600 N600JB

Summary

On 5 September 1998 at about 00:40 local time, a Smith Ted Aerostar TS-600 registered N600JB was involved in an accident near Marietta, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 September 1998 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Marietta, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Donegal Springs Airpark (N71)

Coordinates

40.0503, -76.5509

Aircraft

Smith Ted Aerostar TS-600

Registration

N600JB

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Philadelphia

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

NYC98FA179

1 person died.

The failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed during a precautionary landing which resulted in a loss of control while operating with one engine shutdown. An additional cause was the improper maintenance procedures that resulted in the #5 cylinder not being tightened down. A factor was the night conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane departed at night after maintenance was performed on the left engine. The pilot attempted to return to the airport and while on base leg struck the ground inverted and nose down. The left engine propeller was found feathered. On the left engine, the # 5 cylinder was off the engine and the # 5 piston with the connecting rod still attached were found nearby. Interviews revealed that during maintenance, the # 1,3,5,and 6 cylinders had been removed and reinstalled; however, the # 5 cylinder had not been tightened. Several people had worked on the airplane at various stages of the work. The maintenance facility did not have a system to pass down what had been accomplished, and the FAA did not require the tracking of work accomplished in other than 14 CFR Part 121, or 14 CFR Part 145 facilities.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.