- Date
- May 27, 1990, 14:23 local (19:23 UTC)
- Place
- Tuscaloosa, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1113D67 Flying Dutchman D1/LFD-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900527019809A
- Case key
- 8087
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Maintenance personnel who performed an improper modification of the propeller blade.
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 pilot reported that he was at 2000 feet when a propeller blade separated from the aircraft. A forced landing was made after the engine was shut down using the magneto switch. Subsequent examination of the propeller revealed that the blades had been shortened from the type certificate data sheet minimum of 71.5 in to 65 in. Additionally the propeller was not rated for the 125 HP engine. Its maximum rated HP was 115. The modification was done by unknown maintenance personnel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1113D
- Reported as
- 67 Flying Dutchman D1/LFD-13
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- LFD-13
- Airframe hours
- 350
- Engine
- Lycoming O290, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard L. Chaffin
- Registered owner
- Richard L Chaffin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 11, 1990 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- TCL · Tuscaloosa
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,200 total · 29 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TCL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.