Pilot Debrief

SMYSOR KEVIN VELOCITY near Katy, TX — 2009-05-09

Final reportCEN09LA288
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Date
2009-05-09
Location
Katy, TX, USA
Airport
TME
Aircraft
SMYSOR KEVIN VELOCITY
Registration
N45YV
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of control following an in-flight failure of the propeller.

NTSB narrative

The airplane's experimental two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller had recently been replaced with an experimental three-bladed constant-speed propeller. The pilot was flight testing the new propeller at the time of the accident. During the third flight of the day, one of the propeller's blades separated from the propeller hub during flight. The pilot lost control of the airplane and entered an uncontrolled descent. The airplane impacted in a flat, lightly wooded area. Flight control continuity was confirmed and no preimpact anomalies were discovered with the airplane's engine or other airplane systems. An examination of the propeller conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory discovered several areas of disbonding with signatures of low adhesion between the propeller shank, adhesive, and propeller ferrule.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Proper testing of the new propeller before flight could have prevented the accident.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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