Republic RC-3 N6295K

Summary

On 23 March 2001 at about 19:15 local time, a Republic RC-3 registered N6295K was involved in an accident near Carr Inlet, Washington, United States. One person was 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

23 March 2001 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Carr Inlet, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Tacoma Narrows (TIW)

Coordinates

47.2904, -122.6207

Aircraft

Republic RC-3

Registration

N6295K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mason Lake → Tacoma

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA01LA067

Nobody was injured.

Fatigue fracture of the propeller attaching bolts resulting in the total separation of the propeller assembly from the crankshaft flange.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot stated that the airplane was in a cruise flight configuration at 1,500 feet mean sea level (msl) when he observed an engine over speed condition. The pilot reduced engine RPM and executed a forced water landing. Post-accident inspection of the airplane disclosed that the airplane's propeller had separated from the crankshaft flange. The remnants of three propeller bolts were recovered and shipped to the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C. for metallurgical examination. The examination disclosed that the propeller bolts fractured in a mode consistent with high vibratory tensile stress before the bolts failed due to insufficient torque on the bolts.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.