- Date
- September 21, 1995, 17:35 local (Sep 22, 1995, 01:35 UTC)
- Place
- Gustavus, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N38293Piper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 29, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19950921037309I
- Case key
- 2602
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
fatigue failure of the propeller blade due to previous foreign object damage.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane was on climbout when the airplane began to shake and vibrate. The pilot reduced power, and returned and landed at the Gustavus Airport without further incident. Examination of the propeller showed that 4.5 to 5 inches of one propeller blade had separated. Metallurgical analysis of the blade showed fatigue cracking emanating from a nick on the leading edge. The hardness and composition of the propeller blade material met design specifications.
Factual narrative
On September 21, 1995, at 1735 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-28-181 airplane, N38293, registered to and operated by L.A.B. Flying Service of Juneau, Alaska, experienced an in-flight separation of 4.5 to 5 inches of a propeller blade tip during climbout from Gustavus, Alaska. The mail flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 135, was departing Gustavus on a company visual flight rules flight plan and the destination was Juneau, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured and there was no damage to the airplane.
According to the pilot, he was on climbout after taking off from Gustavus when the engine and airplane began to shake. He reduced the power to 1300 RPM and returned to Gustavus without further incident.
Ground examination of the airplane's propeller showed that approximately 4.5 to 5 inches of one propeller blade had separated. The separated portion of the blade was not recovered. The propeller was submitted to the NTSB Materials Laboratory Division for metallurgical examination. The examination showed that about 60 percent of the blade cross section contained fracture features indicative of fatigue cracking. The fatigue cracking emanated from an origin area located on the leading edge of the blade. The origin area contained a nick. The entire length of the nick could not be determined because the separated piece was not recovered. However, measurements showed that the portion of the nick on the propeller blade was approximately 0.35 inch long. A sectioned piece of the propeller blade was tested for hardness and material composition, and was found to meet the design specifications.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38293
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7790537
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- L.A.B. Flying Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- GST
- Destination
- JNU · Juneau, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 955 total · 199 in this make and model · 895 as pilot in command · 306 in the last 90 days · 115 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.