# NTSB LAX05LA253: Malechek Q-200, N870BM, Delano, CA, August 2, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 1, 2005, 17:30 local (Aug 2, 2005, 00:30 UTC) - Place: Delano, CA - Coordinates: 35.755001, -119.241668 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.7550&lon=-119.2417&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed, report February 26, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 62126 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX05LA253 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62126/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA253 ## Probable cause the in-flight delamination and separation of a propeller blade for undetermined reasons. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, cruise - normal - propeller system/accessories,blade - separation (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - fence - object - utility pole ## Analysis A propeller blade separated while the airplane was cruising at 9,500 feet mean sea level. The pilot then experienced a severe vibration and he shutoff the engine. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane impacted objects short of the runway and came to rest inverted. A subsequent examination of the wood propeller revealed that it had separated at glue joints and delaminated. The pilot had torqued the propeller's attachment bolts to the 18-foot-pound value placarded on the propeller. The previous owner of the airplane had recommended torquing the bolts to 15-foot-pounds. A hair-line crack was found emanating from one of the propeller's attachment bolt holes. The FAA coordinator reported that the attachment bolt torquing sequence for the experimental airplane's propeller was not specified by the manufacturer. ## Factual narrative On August 1, 2005, about 1730 Pacific daylight time, a privately owned and operated Malechek, Q-200, N870BM, experienced the in-flight separation of the outer portion of one propeller blade during cruise flight. The pilot received directions to the nearest airport from a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controller (ATC). During the forced landing, the experimental airplane collided with objects while on final approach to runway 14 at the Delano Municipal Airport, Delano, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The personal flight originated from Modesto, California, about 1630. The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that, while en route to his intended Ramona, California, destination, and cruising at 9,500 feet mean sea level, he had suddenly experienced a severe vibration and believed one propeller had separated from the engine. Thereafter, he shutoff the airplane's engine. Ground-based witnesses reported that the airplane approached the Delano Municipal Airport from the north, and it was heading straight for the runway. The pilot made a forced landing and the airplane touched down short of the runway. It collided with a pole and a chain link fence, broke apart, and came to rest upside down approximately 1,000 feet prior to reaching the approach end of the runway. There was no fire. According to the pilot, 1/2 of the blade's span had broken off. A local FAA certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic recovered some of the airplane's propeller blade. The mechanic noted that the 2-bladed Aymar-DeMuth 60 X 72 wood propeller (S/N 04371) had experienced a separation at the glue joints. The propeller delaminated. In the pilot's completed "Aircraft Accident Report," he indicated his procedures for torquing the propeller blade's attachment bolts. The owner reported that rather than torquing the bolts to the recommended 15-foot-pound value, he torqued the bolts to 18-foot-pounds, according to a placard on the propeller. The FAA coordinator reported observing evidence of a hair-line crack emanating from one of the propeller's attachment bolt holes. The FAA coordinator reported to the Safety Board investigator that the attachment bolt torquing sequence was not specified by the manufacturer. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N870BM](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N870BM-2017-07-07), registration cancelled 2017-07-07, S/N 2572, built 1986 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Malechek Q-200 - Registry model: [Malechek Bob Q-200](https://openairdocs.org/model/malechek-bob-q-200) (registry code 05645XY) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 2572 - Airframe hours: 1201 - Engines: Continental O-200A 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Philip S. Lankford - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, July 1, 2004, 117.5 hours before - Departed: MOD, Modesto, CA - Destination: RNM, RAMONA, CA - Airport: DLO, Delano Municipal, runway 14, 5,650 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review November 1, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 325 total, 130 in this make and model, 285 as pilot in command, 40 in the last 90 days, 20 in the last 30 days, 12 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 320° at 12 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 100 °F, dew point 48 °F - Altimeter: 29.79 inHg - Observed at: BFL, 21 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050801017879A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050801017879A), Aug 1, 2005: Amtr Q200, Delano, CA, Destroyed. (-23) On August 01, 2005, at 1815PDT a malechek, model Q-200 experimental amateur built aircraft s/n 2572 experienced inflight failure of the propeller. Having… 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.