Stinson 108-3 N6647M

Summary

On 5 July 2001 at about 15:00 local time, a Stinson 108-3 registered N6647M was involved in an accident near Friendly, Maryland, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 July 2001 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Friendly, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Potomac Airfield (VKX)

Coordinates

38.7297, -77.0006

Aircraft

Stinson 108-3

Registration

N6647M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Friendly → Clinton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01LA164

1 person was seriously injured.

A baffling failure within the exhaust system. Factors were an inadequate annual inspection and the pilot's operation of the airplane with known deficiencies in equipment.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot started the engine, taxied to runway 24, and performed a magneto check. No anomalies were observed, and he initiated a takeoff roll. However, the engine began to run rough, and the pilot aborted the takeoff. He then ran the engine at different RPM, and performed a second satisfactory magneto check. During the second takeoff roll, the engine ran rough again, and the pilot aborted the takeoff. The pilot then let the engine run for 5 minutes at different RPM, and it passed a third magneto check. On the third takeoff attempt, the engine "had good power," but as the airplane climbed above the trees, the engine lost all power and the pilot performed a forced landing into trees. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the right-side muffler baffling was mostly disintegrated, consistent with a baffling failure and subsequent blockage of the engine exhaust. The muffler baffling was required to be inspected for cracks and wear during the annual inspection of the airplane. The last annual inspection of the airplane was performed about 3 months and 2 weeks prior to the accident, and the airplane had accumulated approximately 28 hours of operation since that inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.