De Havilland DHC-94 MOTH MINOR N9403

Summary

On 2 September 2001 at about 21:00 local time, a De Havilland DHC-94 MOTH MINOR registered N9403 was involved in an accident near Farmington, Pennsylvania, 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

2 September 2001 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Farmington, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

39.7808, -79.6107

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-94 MOTH MINOR

Registration

N9403

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chicago → Connellsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01LA221

Nobody was injured.

The in-flight separation of a propeller blade, which resulted in a forced landing to unsuitable terrain. A factor related to the accident was the plowed field.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the decent from cruise altitude, the pilot heard a loud bang, and the airplane began to shutter violently. The pilot shut down the engine and slowed the airplane to stop the propeller from windmilling. A forced landing was then made to an up-sloping field. After the airplane touched down in the field, it encountered 1-foot high windrows, collapsing the main landing gear. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that about 22 inches of one of the wooden propeller blades was missing. The inspector observed that the remaining portions of the propeller were painted with black paint, and that the wood was dry and brittle. Dark spots were also visible in the areas of the separation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.