# Incident 20210522009889I: Mooney M20F, Darden, TN, May 22, 2021

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 22, 2021, 15:00 local time
- Place: Darden, TN
- Airport: Beech River Regional Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.6564° N, 88.1954° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BEECH RIVER RGNL (PVE), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.6564&lon=-88.1954&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3508X, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3508X) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mooney M20F (registry code 5870214, https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MOONEY M20F
- Reported engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210522009889I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

5/22/2021 - 1500 CDT - 4 PEOPLE ON BOARD . IN STABLE CRUISE 5500' THEY EXPERIENCED A HIGH VIBRATION ESTIMATED BY CREW TO BE AN ENGINE PROBLEM. THEY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED AT THE NEAREST AIRPORT. (KPVE - CARROLL COUNTY AIRPORT). AFTER LANDING, PIC AND PASSENGERS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES OF ONE PROPELLER BLADE HAD SEPARATED IN FLIGHT.

INSPECTOR TRAVELED TO AIRCRAFT AND NOTED:

INITIAL INVESTIGATION BY INSPECTOR FOUND  5.75" OF ONE PROP TIP MISSING - LOGBOOKS AND PIC INFO IN ORDER. NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE FOUND, NO SIGN OF A BIRD STRIKE OR ANY DAMAGE FOUND ANYWHERE ON THE AIRCRAFT. PROP WAS INSTALLED 4/3/2020 BY PREVIOUS OWNER WITH A TOTAL OF 271.9 HRS SINCE LAST OVERHAUL. TOTAL TIME ON PROP IS UNKNOWN.

THE SHEARED AREA SHOWS THERE WAS HIDDEN INTERNAL DAMAGE ON THE LEADING EDGE EMANATING FROM AN AREA WHERE THE PROP SHOWS SIGNS OF BLENDING. SUSPECT HIDDEN DAMAGE AFTER BLENDING ALLOWED THE TIP TO SEPARATE UNDER LOAD AND MULTIPLE CYCLES.

THE PROP WAS REMOVED AND SENT TO HARTZELL FOR FURTHER EVALUATION.

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.

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