- Date
- July 14, 1991, 13:47 local (17:47 UTC)
- Place
- Flint, MI
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8803PPiper PA-24-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 15120
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
Propeller pitch change mechanism sheared. Factors related to the accident were powerplant vibration and proper touchdown point not possible.
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 said that while being vectored on final approach about 5 miles out, the aircraft developed a severe vibration. An emergency was declared and a landing was attempted on the airport. The aircraft landed short of the runway which resulted in substantial damage. Post accident investigation revealed failure of the pitch change knobs on one propeller blade.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8803P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-4286
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-D4A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Vernon C. Slater
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 5, 1990 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- APN · Alpena, MI
- Airport
- FNT · Bishop Int., runway 9, 7,199 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 342 total · 87 in this make and model · 224 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- FNT, 1 nm away
Other investigations on N8803P · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.