- Date
- August 12, 1992, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Portsmouth, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N87945Piper J-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920812031519A
- Case key
- 37207
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 leading edge as the result of corrosion and the subsequent forced landing on unsuitable terrain.
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 pilot said, 'we were at 2500 feet mean sea level. All of a sudden we started experiencing a very violent vibration....it was vibrating so badly I was afraid it was going to shake the engine off the airplane....I shut the engine off.' He made a forced landing in a field with high vegitation. The FAA report said, '...the engine vibration was due to wood propeller delamination over one blade leading edge and tip. Traces of rust were found on the wood where the metal inlay was attached with steel screws to the wood.' The propeller manufacturer confirmed that steel screws are used to secure the leading edge to the wood blade.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N87945
- Reported as
- Piper J-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15563
- Airframe hours
- 2,290
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kyle W. Knore
- Registered owner
- Kyle W. Knore
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 28, 1991 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- Minford, OH
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 325 total · 107 in this make and model · 276 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.