# NTSB SEA08LA114: Canup Titan Tornado S, N706BC, Council, ID, April 26, 2008 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 26, 2008, 16:45 local (22:45 UTC) - Place: Council, ID - Coordinates: 44.749721, -116.446945 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.7497&lon=-116.4469&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 28, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 67909 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA08LA114 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/67909/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA08LA114 ## Probable cause The failure of the tip of the wood propeller due to damage caused by a foreign object. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Propeller system: propeller blade section](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01046111): Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor · Damaged/degraded (probable cause); cases with it: [Canup Billy Hank TITAN TORNADO S, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01046111/cases.md?model=056160K), [All aircraft, 51 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01046111/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: debris/dirt/foreign object](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022055): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Canup Billy Hank TITAN TORNADO S, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022055/cases.md?model=056160K), [All aircraft, 101 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022055/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) (defining event); cases with it: [Canup Billy Hank TITAN TORNADO S, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md?model=056160K), [All aircraft, 994 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md) ## Analysis While climbing to cruise altitude about five minutes after departure, the outboard four inches of the tip of one propeller blade separated. The pilot was able to reduce power and return to the airport for a successful full-stop landing. Inspection of the experimental-use-only wood pusher propeller revealed that the blade had failed at a point where it had been damaged by a foreign object. ## Factual narrative On April 26, 2008, about 1645 mountain daylight time, an experimental Canup Titan Tornado S, N706BC, experienced the separation of a portion of its wood propeller while climbing to cruise altitude about five miles north of Council, Idaho. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the airplane sustained substantial damage to the propeller. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Council, Idaho, about five minutes prior to the propeller failure, was en route to McCall, Idaho. The airplane was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot, while climbing through about 5,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), she heard a loud bang, followed by a severe vibration of the airplane. She immediately turned back toward Council Airport, and after she was sure she had the runway made, reduced power and continued the descent to a successful full-stop landing. After shutting down and inspecting the airplane, the pilot discovered that about four inches of the tip of one propeller blade was missing, and that the other blade was cracked along almost its entire span. Inspection of the Sensenich experimental-use-only W58DJL-50 wood pusher propeller by a Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Inspector revealed that the blade had failed at a point where it had been damaged by a foreign object. Further inspection revealed that at the point of failure there was a sharp-edged indentation about one-half inch long and about one-sixteenth to one-eighth inch deep. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N706BC](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N706BC), registered now, S/N S03J22C0HK0453, built 2004 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Canup Titan Tornado S - Registry model: [Canup Billy Hank TITAN TORNADO S](https://openairdocs.org/model/canup-billy-hank-titan-tornado-s) (registry code 056160K) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: SO3J22COHK0453 - Airframe hours: 250 - Engines: Jabiru 2200A 85 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Claudia A. Delaney - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, November 1, 2007 - Departed: U82, Council, ID - Destination: MYL, McCall, ID ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 43; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review December 1, 2006; seat: front; flight hours: 164 total, 34 in this make and model, 60 as pilot in command, 5 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F 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.