CHI97LA260

According to the pilot, the flight departed Cook Field uneventfully and attained an altitude of approximately 800 feet above ground level when the airplane experienced a complete loss of engine power. The pilot stated that, 'the windshield was covered with oil,' and by looking out the pilot's side window he was able to land uneventfully in a field. The pilot reported that the nose wheel collapsed during the landing roll and the aircraft came to rest approximately midway down the 1,600 foot grassy field. The pilot reported that all passengers exited the aircraft without injuries. The pilot reported that a short time after the occupants were clear of the accident site the airplane became engulfed in flames which eventually burned the fuselage and inboard sections of both wings. Post accident investigation showed that the number six cylinder was separated from the rest of the engine assembly, the crankshaft was fractured, and the propeller blade was fractured at the hub. Examination of the fractured propeller hub was conducted by McCaully Propeller Systems. Examination showed that propeller blade, serial number K95501YS, had failed in fatigue with the fatigue origin found located in the tread root. No anomaly or material/manufacturing defect was found. Further examination showed that the internal components of the propeller contained a substantial amount of rust and rust residue. The specified time-between-overhaul (TBO) for the accident propeller was 1,200 hours or 60 calendar months, whichever occurs first. The propeller had never been overhauled and had been in service for 19 years since new. FAA Airworthiness Directive 91-15-04, which requires the propeller model to be modified to an oil-filled type for the purpose of crack detection, was not complied with.

On August 17, 1997, at 1625 central daylight time, a Cessna 182D, N9952T, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed by fire following a forced landing near Derby, Kansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The parachuting flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. The pilot and four passengers reported no injuries. The local flight departed Cook Field, Derby, Kansas, at approximately 1622.

According to the pilot, the flight departed Cook Field uneventfully and attained an altitude of approximately 800 feet above ground level when the airplane experienced a complete loss of engine power. The pilot stated that, "the windshield was covered with oil," and by looking out the pilot's side window he was able to land uneventfully in a field. The pilot reported that the nose wheel collapsed during the landing roll and the aircraft came to rest approximately midway down the 1,600 foot grassy field. The pilot reported that all passengers exited the aircraft without injuries. The pilot reported that a short time after the occupants were clear of the accident site the airplane became engulfed in flames which eventually burned the fuselage and inboard sections of both wings.

Post accident investigation showed that the number six cylinder was separated from the rest of the engine assembly, the crankshaft was fractured, and the propeller blade was fractured at the hub.

Examination of the fractured propeller hub was conducted by McCaully Propeller Systems. Examination showed that propeller blade, serial number K95501YS, had failed in fatigue with the fatigue origin found located in the tread root. No anomaly or material/manufacturing defect was found. Further examination showed that the internal components of the propeller contained a substantial amount of rust and rust residue. The specified time-between-overhaul (TBO) for the accident propeller was 1,200 hours or 60 calendar months, whichever occurs first. The propeller had never been overhauled and had been in service for 19 years since new. FAA Airworthiness Directive 91-15-04, which requires the propeller model to be modified to an oil-filled type for the purpose of crack detection, was not complied with.