ATL98FA017

Following departure from an en route fuel and rest stop, the pilot reported a propeller problem and returned to the departure airport. The propeller was disassembled to repair what the pilot reported was a failure of the electrical pitch change for the propeller blades. According to witnesses, who saw and talked with the pilot as he worked on the airplane, he (the pilot) was upset over the failure, and he was anxious about hurrying to reach his destination. The pilot, who also held a homebuilt repairman certificate, did not follow the manufacturer's torquing procedures, which were to be followed after replacement of the propeller. After about an hour of flight, following the repairs, one propeller blade separated from the airplane, and a forced landing ensued. The airplane subsequently hit trees, then collided with the ground, inverted. Postcrash examination of the propeller indicated that a propeller blade had loosened during the flight, and subsequently it failed due to overload forces.

History of flight

On November 26, 1997, about 1544 eastern standard time, a Mark Ewart Velocity Standard RG, homebuilt airplane, N907ME, collided with trees and the ground during a forced landing near Florence, South Carolina. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules [VFR]. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A VFR flight plan was filed, but not activated, for the personal flight. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight originated at Lantana, Florida, about 0850, on the same day. An enroute stop was made at 1100 at Savannah, Georgia. The flight's final departure from Savannah was at 1436.

A VFR flight plan had been filed and activated for the flight between Lantana, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia. At 1147 the pilot contacted Macon, Georgia, Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), to cancel the flight plan for the flight between Lantana and Savannah. At the same time, he obtained a preflight VFR weather briefing for a flight from Savannah to Wilmington, Delaware. The investigation determined that the following sequence of events occurred, at the approximate listed time:

1100-N907ME landed Savannah; local controller reported radio difficulty with N907ME 1147-Flight plan canceled and preflight weather briefing obtained from Macon AFSS 1305-Pilot of N907ME called Savannah Tower Operations Supervisor to request "no radio" departure instructions 1321-N907ME departed Savannah 1331-N907ME about 5 to 8 miles northeast of Savannah, informed departure control that there was a propeller vibration; aircraft vectored for a landing on runway 36. 1340-Aircraft landed Savannah 1345(approximately)-Pilot talked to Velocity kit manufacturer on telephone reporting that the propeller pitch was stuck in the takeoff position and that he could not change the propeller pitch with the toggle switch. Pilot stated he intended to remove the propeller, adjust the pitch to a neutral position and continue his flight with a fixed pitch. 1345(approximately)-Pilot borrowed tools from fixed base operator, removed and replaced propeller blades using a torque wrench 1400-Pilot of N907ME called Operations Supervisor at Savannah Tower and requested "no radio" departure instructions from Savannah to Wilmington, Delaware. Operations Supervisor asked pilot why he had to land. Pilot stated "the propeller had stripped" and that he had worked on it and it was ok; pilot's call transferred to clearance delivery for departure instructions 1425-N907ME taxis to runway 36 1436-Flight departs Savannah; subsequently cleared on course 1534-While in contact with Florence, South Carolina, Tower, N907ME reports a problem and does not respond to additional inquiries 1536-N907ME requested directions to nearest airport and was vectored toward Florence, heading 190 degrees; position reported as 9 miles north of the Florence Regional Airport 1538-N907ME responded to inquiries from Florence Tower that he was "deadstick and no engine" 1544-N907ME observed to crash in trees north of airport; radar contact lost 1.5 miles north of Florence Airport

The airplane collided with trees and the ground about two miles north of the Florence Airport. Initial examination of the airplane revealed that one blade of the three bladed propeller was absent from the hub. It was not located at the accident site.

Personnel information

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the pilot held private pilot certificate, number 266179073, with airplane single engine land rating. His certificate was obtained on April 29, 1994. The application for the certificate indicated that the pilot had 50.8 total flight hours on that date. Based on the flight hour meter in the airplane at the accident site, and the aircraft records, the pilot's flight hours in the accident airplane were estimated to be 368. A pilot log was not located.

Additionally, the pilot was issued a Repairman certificate, on April 30, 1996, with a rating for Experimental Aircraft Builder Aircraft-Velocity RG s/n DMO-266.

A third class medical certificate was issued to the pilot on December 21, 1995, with no limitations or waivers. Additional personnel information is contained in this report on page 3 under the heading First Pilot Information.

Aircraft information

N907ME, a Velocity RG Standard, serial number DMO-266, was an Amateur-Built airplane certificated in the Experimental Category. The airplane was built and operated by the registered owner. An airworthiness certificate and operating limitations were issued for the airplane on December 23, 1995. The operating limits required that the airplane receive a condition inspection annually, in accordance with Federal Aviation Regulation Part 43, Appendix D, and the airplane determined to be in a condition for safe operation. The condition inspection was to be recorded in the aircraft maintenance records.

An entry in the aircraft log dated January 26, 1996, indicated that the airplane had completed the operating limitations flight test hours and was found controllable throughout the range of speed and maneuvers intended, with no hazardous operating characteristics. The entry was signed by the owner/pilot. It was noted that there was no entry in the aircraft log indicating that a condition inspection had been performed within the 12 months prior to the accident.

The airplane was of composite construction, and designed with a canard and a swept main wing. Winglets were installed on the main wing tips with integral one-way rudders.

The airplane was powered by a Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 engine, and equipped with an Ivoprop Corp. three bladed, electrically controllable propeller. The propeller blades were of composite material. According to the manufacturer's information on the propeller, the pilot controls the propeller blade pitch through a toggle switch mounted in the cockpit, which activates an electric motor. Rotary motion of the motor is converted to axial motion by a lead screw. The lead screw is connected to a spool that is linked to a cam. Axial movement of the cam moves a torsion rod changing the pitch of the propeller blade.

The propeller blades are sandwiched between knurled plates and held in place by torquing the mounting bolts to 65 foot pounds. According to Ivoprop Corp. the propeller blades should be replaced in the same relative positions if removed. If the propeller blades are removed, the mounting bolts should be torqued, the engine and propeller operated through the full r.p.m range, and the mounting bolts re-torqued. The procedure should be repeated until the mounting bolt torque remains the same. Stainless steel tape should be applied across the gap between the adjacent blade butts of the installed propeller blades, in accordance with Ivoprop Corp. Service Bulletin #3 (attached), and the tape inspection schedule established in the service bulletin followed. Service Bulletin #3 states that the tape should be inspected for breaks following a ground run and operating the propeller through the full r.p.m. range, then following flight of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, 4 hours, then at each preflight inspection. If the tape breaks, it may be reapplied and the inspection schedule re-commenced. If the tape breaks again, the propeller should be removed from service and the manufacturer contacted. Service Bulletin #3 states that its purpose was to detect blade movement inside the hub due to "misinstallation" , and or harmonic resonance between the propeller and the power plant. The bulletin indicates that if the blades were loosely mounted or a harmonic resonance developed the blades could move inside the hub in the plane of propeller rotation that could result in breaking of the propeller blade(s).

Additional airplane information is found on page 2 of this report under the heading Aircraft Information.

Meteorologic