Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 182G near Manistee, MI — 2017-04-23

Final reportCEN17LA178
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Date
2017-04-23
Location
Manistee, MI, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 182G
Registration
N2056R
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The failure of the airplane owner and maintenance personnel to follow the propeller manufacturer's recommend overhaul schedule, which resulted in a fatigue fracture of the propeller blade actuating pin and a loss of thrust in flight.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot was in cruise flight about 2,500 ft mean sea level during a cross-country flight when he noted an engine vibration and loss of power, which he could not remediate. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. One of the two propeller blades was rotated about 90° and was beyond its high pitch limit. The high pitch angle of the blade would have resulted in high drag and/or loss of propulsive thrust. Disassembly and metallurgical examination of the hub of the rotated propeller revealed that its blade actuating pin had fractured in high-cycle fatigue. According to a manufacturer's service bulletin, the propeller should be overhauled at 1,500 hours or 60 calendar months, whichever occurs first. Propeller logbooks showed that the accident propeller was last overhauled nearly 24 years and over 1,592 hours before the accident. It is likely that compliance with the manufacturer's recommended overhaul schedule would have resulted in the fatigued pin being replaced.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Performing a more thorough inspection of the propeller before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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