# Accident 20161117020769A: Curtiss JN4D, Williamson, GA, November 17, 2016 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: November 17, 2016, 18:09 local time - Place: Williamson, GA - Airport: Peach State - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 33.1844° N, 84.3847° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.1844&lon=-84.3847&mi=10 - Aircraft: N1662, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1662-2020-05-01) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Curtiss JN4D (registry code 0760739, https://openairdocs.org/model/curtiss-jn4d) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG (registry code 99999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CURTISS JN4D - Reported engine: WRIGHT-MARTIN HISPANO SUIZA - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor - Pilot flight hours: 25,200 total, 59 in this make and model - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA17FA050](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17FA050) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20161117020769A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON NOVEMBER 17, 2016 AT ABOUT 1709 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR- BUILT CURTISS JENNY MODEL JN4D SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANE, N1662, WAS DESTROYED DURING A POST IMPACT FIRE FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM PEACH STATE AIRPORT (GA2), WILLIAMSON GEORGIA. THE ATP RATED PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REGISTERED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 AS A LOCAL AREA FLIGHT. DAY VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PRESUMED LOCAL FLIGHT. AT 1655, THE K6A2 AUTOMATED WEATHER SYSTEM REPORTED THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: WIND CALM, VISIBILITY 10 MILES, SKY CLEAR, TEMPERATURE 77.0 °F, DEW POINT 46.4 °F, ALTIMETER 30.10 IN OF MERCURY. THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE WAS AN AMATEUR-BUILT REPLICA CURTISS JENNY MODEL JN4D SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANE, SERIAL NUMBER 6062. WATER COOLED 180 HORSEPOWER WRIGHT-MARTIN HISPANO SUIZA MODEL E2 RECIPROCATING ENGINE, SERIAL NUMBER 275226 POWERED THE AIRCRAFT THROUGH A FIXED PITCH, TWIN BLADE, CHAD WILLE CUSTOM DESIGNED, WOOD PROPELLER APPROXIMATELY 8 FEET IN DIAMETER . THE AIRPLANE WAS OF THE CONVENTIONAL LANDING GEAR DESIGN, SEATING TWO INDIVIDUALS IN TANDEM AND HAD A DEMONSTRATED TAKEOFF WEIGHT OF 2,015 POUNDS. THE AIRPLANE WAS ISSUED A SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE ON NOVEMBER 05, 2013. THE AIRPLANE UTILIZED SOME ORIGINAL PARTS FROM THE 1921 CURTISS JENNY JN4D DESIGN, FOR EXAMPLE THE STEEL FUEL TANK. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT MADE A NORMAL TAKE OFF FROM RUNWAY 32 (2400 FEET X 100 FEET TURF) AND WAS CLIMBING, AT APPROXIMATELY 100-200? AGL AND APPROXIMATELY AT THE RUNWAY END MARKERS, ONE WITNESS CLOSEST TO THE CLIMBING AIRCRAFT, HEARD WHAT HE SAID SOUNDED LIKE A LOUD BACKFIRE FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY TWO NOT AS LOUD ?POPS?, THEN SILENCE. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED A SLOW LEFT DESCENDING TURN OVER THE TREES, IT WAS AT THIS POINT THE WITNESSES NOTED FLAMES EMANATING FROM THE AIRCRAFT; THE FIRE GREW INVOLVING THE FRONT FUSELAGE AND TOP CENTER WING AND PERSISTED IN INTENSITY UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT WAS OUT OF VIEW. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED BELOW TREE LEVEL AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN IN A NEARLY FLAT ATTITUDE, SLIGHTLY NOSE DOWN, A POST-CRASH EXPLOSION WAS REPORTED AND A MUSHROOM CLOUD FOLLOWED BY A COLUMN OF BLACK SMOKE. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT FROM THE TIME THE FIRE WAS FIRST SEEN UNTIL IMPACT WAS LESS THAN 20-30 SECONDS. THE AIRCRAFT AND OCCUPANTS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EMPENNAGE WERE CONSUMED IN THE POST IMPACT FIRE. THE WRECKAGE CAME TO REST ON A 270 DEGREE HEADING, BETWEEN PINE TREES APPROXIMATELY 30-50?TALL. CONTINUITY OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM, ALTHOUGH DAMAGED BY FIRE AND THE EXTRADITION OF THE OCCUPANTS BY FIRST RESPONDERS, WAS VERIFIED. THE POINT OF IMPACT WAS AT THE EDGE OF AN OPEN FIELD APPROXIMATELY 1080 FEET WEST FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY 13 MARKERS, THE AIRCRAFT APPARENTLY DESCENDED ALMOST VERTICALLY THROUGH THE TREE LINE WITHOUT LEAVING EVIDENCE OF BROKEN TREE LIMBS OR RESIDUAL FABRIC IN THE SURROUNDING TREES, EVIDENCE AT THE SITE OF IMPACT SHOWED LITTLE FORWARD MOMENTUM, THE MAIN WHEELS AND AXEL WERE BOWED UPWARD WITH NO GROUND SCARING, INDICATING A DOWNWARD IMPACT. ACCORDING TO AVAILABLE RECORDS THE AIRPLANE ACCUMULATED OVER 59 HOURS SINCE RECEIVING THE AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE. A POST-ACCIDENT REVIEW OF AVAILABLE RECORDS FOUND NO HISTORY OF UNRESOLVED MAINTENANCE ISSUES, ALL MAINTENANCE ENTRIES DOCUMENTED WERE PROPERLY RETURNED TO SERVICE BY AN APPROPRIATELY RATED AIRMAN. HOWEVER NOT ALL MAINTENANCE ACTIONS WERE DOCUMENTED IN THE AIRCRAFT/ENGINE LOGS, THE PROPELLER WAS REPORTEDLY REMOVED AND SENT FOR REPAIR TO THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURE FOR A CRACK AT THE BLADE TIP, THE PROPELLER WAS REPAIRED AND RETURNED, SUBSEQUENTLY REINSTALLED ON THE AIRCRAFT, WITHOUT A LOG ENTRY. THE LAST DOCUMENTED CONDITION INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED ON JUNE 20, 2016. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA17FA050](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17FA050), Nov 17, 2016: Curtiss JN4 (N1662), Williamson, GA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The in-flight failure of the propeller due to excessive engine vibration loads and the use of an incorrectly-sized propeller, which resulted in a fatigue crack of the leading edge strip. Contributing… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.