Cirrus SR22 N422PB

Summary

On 7 July 2015 at about 16:37 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N422PB, operated by Airccs LLC, was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, 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

7 July 2015 at 16:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

George Bush Intercontinental/H (IAH)

Coordinates

29.9725, -95.4511

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N422PB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Airccs LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → Austin

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA298

2 people had minor injuries.

Maintenance personnel's improper installation of the propeller governor, which resulted in damage to the governor drive gear and its subsequent failure and a subsequent loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before the accident flight, maintenance personnel removed the airplane's propeller governor, checked it for proper operation, and reinstalled it on the engine. The airline transport pilot and passenger departed on the business flight. The pilot reported that, during initial climb, he noticed increasing engine temperature, so he reduced engine power to lower the engine temperature. When the airplane was about 900 ft above ground level, the engine lost partial power and, shortly thereafter, lost total power. With no suitable forced landing area, the airframe ballistic parachute system was deployed, and the airplane impacted terrain next to a residence and sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the engine found that the propeller governor drive gear was fractured, and the gear teeth exhibited damage consistent with the governor drive gear being misaligned. A bench test performed on the governor revealed that it operated within the specified parameters for the unit. The examination also noted the governor washers were improperly stacked; however, this likely did not contribute to the engine failure. A review of engine performance data for the accident flight revealed that the engine rpm reached at least 3,500 rpm during initial climb, which is 800 rpm over the maximum engine speed; it is likely this overspeed condition occurred as a result of the governor drive gear fracturing. The governor drive gear was likely damaged during the installation of the propeller governor, which subsequently failed during takeoff and allowed the engine to overspeed and overheat to the point of losing power.   

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.