# NTSB DEN00IA133: Diamond Aircraft Industries 20C-1, N991CT, Spanish Fork, UT, July 1, 2000 - Type: NTSB incident investigation - Classification: Incident · No injuries · Incident investigation · Final report - Date: July 1, 2000, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC) - Place: Spanish Fork, UT - Coordinates: 40.01984, -111.550804 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0198&lon=-111.5508&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 19, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 51111 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN00IA133 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/51111/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00IA133 ## Probable cause The company maintenance personnel's inadequate torquing procedures of the propeller attachment bolts which resulted in the fatigue failure of the propeller attachment bolts and the in-flight separation of the propeller. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Propeller failure/malfunction, cruise - propeller system/accessories - separation - miscellaneous,bolt/nut/fastener/clamp/spring - undertorqued (cause) - miscellaneous,bolt/nut/fastener/clamp/spring - fatigue - maintenance,adjustment - inadequate, company maintenance personnel (cause) - Forced landing, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The pilot had just departed on a cross-country flight, and had climbed to 9,500 feet. He said that he began to feel a 'heavy vibration' in the aircraft, and immediately turned towards the closest runway. Soon thereafter the propeller separated from the airplane, and the pilot performed a forced landing without further incident. Postincident examination of the maintenance records indicated that the attachment bolts for the wooden propeller were last torqued 110 hours before the incident. The manufacturer of the propeller recommends that their wooden propellers be torque checked every 50 hours of flight. Examination revealed that the propeller attachment bolts showed signs of fatigue failure. There was also fretting damage on the propeller extension flange and bushing shanks. The above-mentioned signatures are suggestive of the studs being insufficiently torqued by the mechanic during assembly or periodic maintenance procedures not being followed, and subsequently becoming loose during propeller operation. ## Factual narrative On July 1, 2000, at 1300 mountain daylight time, a Diamond Aircraft Industries 20C-1, N991CT, sustained minor damage when the propeller separated from the airplane near Spanish Fork, Utah. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was being operated by Smith and Barlow Enterprises, Inc., Provo, Utah, under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight that originated from Provo, Utah, approximately 15 minutes before the incident. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot said that he had just departed on a cross-country flight, and had climbed to 9,500 feet. He said that he began to feel a "heavy vibration" in the aircraft, and immediately turned the airplane back towards the closest runway at Spanish Fork Airport. Soon thereafter the propeller separated from the airplane. The pilot performed a forced landing to runway 30 without further incident. The wooden propeller was not recovered. The propeller extension assembly was removed from the engine and forwarded to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Material's Laboratory. Examination revealed that all six propeller attachment bolts showed signs of fatigue failure. There was also fretting damage on the propeller extension flange and bushing shanks. Postincident examination of the maintenance records indicated that the attachment bolts for the propeller were last torqued on April 26, 2000, 110 hours before the incident. Sensenich Propeller Manufacturing Co., Inc., the manufacturer of the propeller, recommends that their wooden propellers be torque checked every 50 hours of flight. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N991CT](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N991CT-2021-04-05), registration cancelled 2021-04-05, S/N C0091, built 1999 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Diamond Aircraft Industries 20C-1 - Registry model: [Diamond Aircraft Ind DA20-C1](https://openairdocs.org/model/diamond-aircraft-ind-da20-c1) (registry code 2990001) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: C0091 - Engines: Continental IO-240 125 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Minor damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Smith And Barlow Enterprises - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: PVU, PROVO, UT - Destination: 41U, EPHRAIM, UT ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: unknown, unknown; seat: left ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 200° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 39 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Incident 20000701035759I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000701035759I), Jul 1, 2000: Diamon DA20C1, Spanish Fork, UT. (-23)Aircraft was in cruise flight, east bound up Spanish Fork canyon at 9,500' when the pilot experienced a vibration. He immediately performed a 180' turn… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.