Piper PA-28-181 N8465R

Summary

On 6 April 2003 at about 17:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N8465R was involved in an accident near Baker, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

6 April 2003 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Baker, California, United States

Coordinates

35.2500, -116.0500

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N8465R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

La Verne → Jean

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA130

2 people had minor injuries.

the separation of a propeller blade tip due to fatigue cracking that resulted from improper maintenance repair procedures.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with obstacles during a forced landing in desert terrain. While in cruise flight, a portion of the propeller blade separated and the airplane's engine began to violently vibrate. The pilot executed a forced landing and the airplane collided with cactus plants prior to touch down. The airplane hit hard and the landing gear separated. The Safety Board's Materials Laboratory examined the remainder of the propeller blade, which revealed fatigue cracking. At the origin of the crack was a corrosion pit. High magnification optical examinations revealed that numerous small shallow corrosion concentration areas were imbedded on both the camber and flat surfaces, in indication that the blade had not been properly dressed. Paint and conversion coatings covered many of the pits and corrosion areas. The propeller was overhauled March 25, 2002, and had accumulated about 700 hours of total time since the overhaul, Logbook entries recorded that maintenance personnel removed propeller nicks on October 30, 2002. FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1A, Section 3 "Repair of Metal propellers," paragraph 585(a) discusses procedures applied to the repair of aluminum propellers. Specifically, this reference addresses rounding out of nicks, scars, cuts, etc. by advising to "...exercise care to remove the deepest point of the injury..."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.