- Date
- September 2, 2001, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Farmington, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9403de Havilland DHC-94 Moth Minor
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 18, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 53162
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 in-flight separation of a propeller blade, which resulted in a forced landing to unsuitable terrain. A factor related to the accident was the plowed field.
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
During the decent from cruise altitude, the pilot heard a loud bang, and the airplane began to shutter violently. The pilot shut down the engine and slowed the airplane to stop the propeller from windmilling. A forced landing was then made to an up-sloping field. After the airplane touched down in the field, it encountered 1-foot high windrows, collapsing the main landing gear. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that about 22 inches of one of the wooden propeller blades was missing. The inspector observed that the remaining portions of the propeller were painted with black paint, and that the wood was dry and brittle. Dark spots were also visible in the areas of the separation.
Factual narrative
On September 2, 2001, about 1700 eastern daylight time, an experimental deHavilland DHC-94 Moth Minor, N9403, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Farmington, Pennsylvania. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, the airplane was being flown from Chicago, Illinois, to the Connellsville Airport (2G3), Connellsville, Pennsylvania. About 5 miles from 2G3, the pilot reduced power and began a decent. During the descent, the pilot heard a loud bang, and the airplane began to shutter violently. The pilot shut down the engine and slowed the airplane to stop the propeller from windmilling. A forced landing was then made to an up-sloping field. After the airplane touched down in the field, it encountered 1-foot high windrows. The right landing gear sheared from the fuselage and the airplane turned to the right. During the turn, the left landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest upright.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that about 22 inches of one of the wooden propeller blades was missing. The inspector observed that the remaining portions of the propeller were painted with black paint, and that the wood was dry and brittle. Dark spots were also visible in the areas of the separation.
The airplane's last annual inspection was completed on May 25, 2001, and found to be "airworthy for flight operations" by a mechanic.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9403
- Reported as
- de Havilland DHC-94 Moth Minor
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 9403
- Airframe hours
- 690
- Engine
- Gypsy Minor Minor Series, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bannockburn Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special flight (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 25, 2001 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- DPA · Chicago, IL
- Destination
- 2G3 · Connellsville, PA
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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- June 23, 2001
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,650 total · 15 in this make and model · 2,320 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- LBE, 13 nm away