Riggs Kenneth W T BIRD II N618ER

Summary

On 5 November 2017 at about 17:40 local time, a Riggs Kenneth W T BIRD II registered N618ER was involved in an accident near St Mary's, Kansas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 November 2017 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

St Mary's, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

39.1975, -96.0733

Aircraft

Riggs Kenneth W T BIRD II

Registration

N618ER

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St Mary's → St Mary's

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA027

2 people were seriously injured.

The loss of engine power due to a propeller failure when the passenger’s hat exited the cockpit and impacted the three-bladed pusher propeller, separating one of the propeller blades.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot and passenger planned on a short flight around the traffic pattern in an open-cockpit, light sport airplane. Shortly after takeoff, as the pilot turned downwind, he heard a "crack," and the engine started to vibrate and lose power. The pilot applied power, but the engine did not respond. He turned sharply left and then tried to stop the turn and descend, but the airplane continued to turn and descend until it impacted terrain. A witness saw two objects fall from the airplane shortly after the engine sound "stopped." Both objects were retrieved. The first object was the passenger's knitted hat, the top of which was "chewed up" and had a line burnt/melted into it. The other object was one of the propeller blades. The accident is consistent with the passenger's hat exiting the cockpit and impacting the three-bladed pusher propeller, which led to the separation of one of the propeller blades and the subsequent loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.