Piper PA-44-180 N30397

Summary

On 14 April 1999 at about 15:39 local time, a Piper PA-44-180 registered N30397 was involved in an accident near Vero Beach, Florida, United States. 2 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.

Date

14 April 1999 at 15:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Vero Beach, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Vero Beach (VRB)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-44-180

Registration

N30397

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA99LA128

Nobody was injured.

The improper return to service of a propeller hub by a propeller overhaul company which according to manufacturer's procedures should have been retired due to damage to propeller blades from sudden stoppage. This resulted in undetected fatigue propagation through the hub and separation of a propeller blade in flight. This resulted in overstress separation of the propeller flange and the remainder of the propeller and overstress separation of the engine mount causing the engine to drop down making the aircraft uncontrollable.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While maneuvering the airplane at 4,000 feet above ground level, the flightcrew heard a loud noise from the left engine and saw that the left engine had dropped down about 45 degrees from the normal position. They returned to the departure airport for an emergency landing. When the landing gear was extended the left engine dropped down further. They were unable to maintain directional control due to the drag and made a forced landing in a wooded area. Post crash examination showed the left propeller hub had failed due to fatigue cracking causing a blade to separate. The remainder of the propeller separated when the propeller flange separated due to overstress and the engine dropped down when the engine mount separated due to overstress. The left propeller had sustained damage in a gear up landing 525 flight hours before the accident. The blades were bent beyond repairable limits and scrapped. The hub was inspected and returned to service with new blades. The manufacturer's procedures call for a hub to be retired if the blades receive damage beyond repairable limits and are scrapped.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.