- Date
- May 26, 1990, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N40145Ayres S2R-600
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900526017569A
- Case key
- 32666
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 operation of the airplane with an unairworthy propeller by the operator.
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 stated that while maneuvering, he felt a severe vibration. He dumped the chemical & during the forced landing, collided with trees before coming to rest. Exam of the acft revealed that the no. 2 prop blade counterweight bearing shaft failed due to fatigue. According to the metallurgist, the fatigue was due to bending stress which was caused by excessive clearance between the shaft & the bushed hole it was positioned in. This allowed centrifugal force to position the blade to high pitch, resulting in unequal thrust. The prop was overhauled in 1987 but the total time since that time could not be determined. The prop was repaired about 10 weeks prior to the accident but had only accumulated 3.4 hrs since the repair. According to the prop overhaul facility general mgr, the prop was returned to the operator after the accident but the approved for service line on the work order was not signed. According to the chief inspector of the repair facility, further insp was necessary to determine if the prop was airworthy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40145
- Reported as
- Ayres S2R-600
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2558R
- Airframe hours
- 4,006
- Engine
- P&W R1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Sunniland Aircraft Sales, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Sunniland Aircraft Sales, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 11, 1990 · 4 hours before
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 6,700 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 10 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.