Winter J T/Johnson KITFOX III N727PD
11 November 2006 · Southwest Ranch, Florida, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 11 November 2006 at about 19:19 local time, a Winter J T/Johnson KITFOX III registered N727PD was involved in an accident near Southwest Ranch, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 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.
The record
- Date
- at 19:19
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Southwest Ranch, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 26.0000, -80.2500
- Aircraft
- Winter J T/Johnson KITFOX III
- Registration
- N727PD
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Southwest Ranch → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA07LA013
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The owner/builder's improper maintenance/installation of the propeller which resulted in a propeller blade coming loose and separating from the hub.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor stated that while in cruise flight the engine suddenly began to operate "badly", and the whole airplane vibrated intensely. He said that they flew away from the populated residential areas and made a forced landing in the area of a landfill. During the landing rollout the airplane nosed over, incurring damage. According to the FAA inspector who responded to the scene of the accident, upon inspecting the airplane he found one propeller blade missing, with part of the blade root remaining in the hub. Furthermore, he found that one blade mounting bolt was loose and the bolt associated with the missing blade had fractured. The inspector noted no other anomalies with the accident airplane. On May 29, 2007 the NTSB sent the propeller, and its associated mounting hardware, minus the missing blade, to the propeller manufacturer, IVOProp Corporation, Long Beach, California, for further examination, under the supervision of an FAA inspector. The examination revealed that the propeller had been improperly assembled, and was missing the required Motion Detector Tape, which resulted in the blade bolt holes elongating, and one blade separating from the hub in flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 2006 | Lake LA-4-200 | Lake Wales, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 2006 | Mooney M20J | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 2006 | Beechcraft A24R | Okeechobee, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Jul 2006 | Dahlstrom - Piel Emeraude CP-30 | Venice, Florida, United States | David G. Dahlstrom | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 2006 | Piper PA-34-200 | Deland, Florida, United States | Phoenix East Aviation, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2006 | Howard DGA-15P | Merritt Island, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |