- Date
- June 24, 2009, 10:20 local (14:20 UTC)
- Place
- Ashville, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N19PPHubbell Prescott Pusher
- Defining event
- Approach: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Columbus FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090624011209A
- Case key
- 74130
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
A partial loss of engine power due to propeller damage from being struck by the cabin-entry door, which inadvertently opened and departed the airframe for undetermined reasons during flight.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
As the airplane approached its destination, the cabin-entry door inadvertently opened, departed the airframe, and struck the pusher-type propeller. The airplane experienced a significant loss of engine power and the pilot performed a forced landing into a nearby wheat field. The left wing was substantially damaged when the left main landing gear collapsed during landing. The amateur-built airplane was equipped with a single, gull-wing type, cabin door. The door, located on the left side of the cabin, articulated around a hinge on the top of the fuselage. The door latch-pins were designed to engage the fuselage using three capturing latch assemblies installed in the fuselage sidewall. These capturing latches functioned collectively using a single door latch handle. A post-accident inspection and testing of the fuselage-mounted latch assemblies and their common latch handle failed to reveal any anomalies or damage. All three corresponding latch-pins remained attached to the recovered door frame and appeared undamaged.
Factual narrative
As the airplane approached its destination, the cabin-entry door inadvertently opened, departed the airframe, and struck the pusher-type propeller. The airplane experienced a significant loss of engine power and the pilot performed a forced landing into a nearby wheat field. The left wing was substantially damaged when the left main landing gear collapsed during landing. The amateur-built airplane was equipped with a single, gull-wing type, cabin door. The door, located on the left side of the cabin, articulated around a hinge on the top of the fuselage. The door latch-pins were designed to engage the fuselage using three capturing latch assemblies installed in the fuselage sidewall. These capturing latches functioned collectively using a single door latch handle. A post-accident inspection and testing of the fuselage-mounted latch assemblies and their common latch handle failed to reveal any anomalies or damage. All three corresponding latch-pins remained attached to the recovered door frame and appeared undamaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19PP
- Reported as
- Hubbell Prescott Pusher
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 009
- Airframe hours
- 104
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Airdat, LLC
- Registered owner
- Airdat, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · January 22, 2009
- Departed
- 2W6 · Leonardtown, MD
- Destination
- KLCK · Columbus, OH
- Flight plan
- 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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Military, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 26, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 65 in this make and model · 3,500 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KLCK, 8 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 8, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 914 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.