- Date
- June 21, 1989, 17:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Moriarity, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N544BMBeauchesne/Wells Glasair TD
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890621016639A
- Case key
- 17727
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
Improper installation of the propeller which resulted in severe vibration and failure of the propeller mounting bolts, & the separation of the propeller from the aircraft. Rough/uneven desert terrain contributed to the accident.
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 plt rprtd that drg flt, the prop began to wobble & shook the acft violently. He turned the acft away from mtns to find a suitable area for an emergency landing. However, at an alt of about 400' AGL, the prop sepd & the plt was forced to land on desert terrain. Drg the landing, the acft was substantially damaged. An investigation revealed the prop had been mounted on the eng with an extension, but the extension did not have a means to precisely center the prop. Subsequently, the prop began a severe vibration, the prop mounting bolts failed & the prop sepd from the acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N544BM
- Reported as
- Beauchesne/Wells Glasair TD
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 544
- Airframe hours
- 64
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Moyle, Bennett I.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 7, 1989 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- TCC · Tucumcari, NM
- Destination
- ABQ · Albuquerque, NM
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 47 in this make and model · 328 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 100 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.