- Date
- June 9, 1991, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N48JPPitts S1C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910609020479A
- Case key
- 23341
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
The failure of the propeller due to improper installation.
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
Following a series of aerobatic maneuvers to test the effectiveness of new type of composite propeller the airplane experienced a catastrophic failure of the propeller. The propeller was issued with a kit that included the mounting bolts. The bolts provided were too long and bottomed out resulting in no torque being applied to the propeller. The propeller wobbled, and the propeller laminations separated.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48JP
- Reported as
- Pitts S1C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 072
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joseph A. Pacht
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
- 40
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,065 total · 325 in this make and model · 982 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 13,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.