Smyth SIDEWINDER N492AC
14 September 2019 · Tucumcari, New Mexico, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 September 2019 at about 17:25 local time, a Smyth SIDEWINDER registered N492AC was involved in an accident near Tucumcari, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. 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 17:25
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tucumcari, New Mexico, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.1256, -103.8392
- Aircraft
- Smyth SIDEWINDER
- Registration
- N492AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2003
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Gallup → Altus
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR19LA273
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The in-flight separation of a section of a propeller blade due to a fatigue crack, which resulted in a forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine momentarily started to run rough before he heard a loud bang followed by a separation of a portion of the propeller blade. The pilot shut the engine down and performed a forced landing to open desert terrain, during which the airplane impacted vegetation, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the propeller blade revealed a chordwise fracture across the propeller about 12 inches from the hub. The fracture origin area exhibited a small pit, consistent with progressive crack growth from a flat fracture surface in the area identified as the origin. The pit was likely initiated by corrosion, as it exhibited evidence of chlorine-containing salts. No maintenance logbooks were located for the propeller, and its total time in service and most recent inspection were not determined.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Smyth SIDEWINDER accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep 1993 | Smyth SIDEWINDER | Point Pleasant, West Virginia, United States | John Jewett | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 2019 | Rolladen Schneider LS4 | Moriarty, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 27 Sep 2019 | American AA5 | Cowles, New Mexico, United States | Western Air Flight Academy | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 May 2019 | Cessna 195 | Socorro, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2019 | Beechcraft 35 | Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States | Michael Bletsch & Andrew Spiwak | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2019 | Dennis L Zumbalt SKY BOLT | Deming, New Mexico, United States | Anthony M Moretti | Serious injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 2019 | Cirrus SR22 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |