ASN Aircraft accident ATR 42-512 VP-BVE Cartagena

Home » Database » 2002

Status:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:	Saturday 12 January 2002
Time:	20:40
Type:	ATR 42-512
Operator:	ACES - Aerolineas Centrales de Colombia
Registration:	VP-BVE
MSN:	510
First flight:	1995
Total airframe hrs:	11225
Engines:	2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127E
Crew:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 47
Total:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 51
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Aircraft fate:	Repaired
Location:	near Cartagena ( Colombia)
Phase:	En route (ENR)
Nature:	Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Cartagena-Rafael Núñez Airport (CTG/SKCG), Colombia
Destination airport:	Bucaramanga-Palo Negro Airport (BGA/SKBG), Colombia

Narrative:
About 5 minutes after takeoff, the pilots felt high vibrations in the airplane, and the No. 2 engines low oil pressure warning light illuminated. When the pilots attempted to shut down the No. 2 engine with the fuel lever, the lever jammed. They then shut down the engine by pulling the fire handle. The airplane returned to Cartagena for an emergency landing. An initial examination of the No. 2 engines propeller assembly revealed one of the six blades had separated through the metal base just outboard of the propeller hub. An adjacent blade was fractured through the composite airfoil at about the midspan area. The examination of the engine revealed that both of the forward engine mounts had broken, and the engine sagged to the bottom of the engine cowling.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: (translated from original Spanish language report) "Preventive maintenance programs which did not allow the detection of corrosion in the base of the blade with serial number FR341 leading to fatigue and separation thereof."

Accident investigation:

Investigating agency:	Aerocivil
Status:	Investigation completed
Accident number:	COL-02-02-GIA
Download report:	Final report

Classification:

Prop/turbine blade separation
Forced landing on runway

Sources:

» NTSB

Follow-up / safety actions

Aerocivil issued 2 Safety Recommendations
FAA issued 2 Airworthiness Directives
FAA issued 2 Emergency Airworthiness Directives
NTSB issued 1 Safety Recommendation
NTSB issued 1 Urgent Safety Recommendation

Issued: --	To: Hamilton Sundstrand	VP-BVE (1)
To Hamilton Sundstrand: removing all installed 568F series blades (with manufacturing numbers lower than 1698)
Issued: --	To: Hamilton Sundstrand	VP-BVE (2)
To Hamilton Sundstrand: implementation of a preventive maintenance program to permit removal of the blades including the base thereof (tulip) into permanent periods to prevent the formation of corrosion and fatigue induced in these components.
Issued: 07-FEB-2002	To: Hamilton Sundstrand Model 568F1 Propellers	EAD 2002-03-51
Require removal of the oldest (serial nr < 1698) of the propeller blades (Hamilton Sundstrand Model 568F) by March 31, 2002 (Superseded by EAD 2002-04-52)
Issued: 12-FEB-2002	To: FAA	A-02-3
For all Hamilton Sundstrand 568F propeller blades with serial numbers 1 through 1,698: (1) Require the immediate inspection and repair (including removal of the compression wrap and any existing corrosion, a nondestructive inspection for cracks, shot peening of the radius, and installation of an appropriate corrosion protection system) of all blades that have been in service more than 6 years or 11,700 hours; (2) Immediately determine a conservative threshold for the inspection and repair of the remaining blades that is appropriately less than 6 years or 11,700 hours in service, taking into account the uncertainties in the failure mechanism (including the initiation and growth rate for the pitting and fatigue cracking); (3) Require the immediate inspection and repair of those propeller blades that have already reached or exceeded the threshold determined as a result of (2), above; and (4) For those propeller blades that are not immediately inspected and repaired in accordance with (1) and (3), above, require that they be inspected and repaired as soon as possible, but no later than the threshold determined as a result of (2), above.
Issued: 12-FEB-2002	To: FAA	A-02-4
Require Hamilton Sundstrand to perform additional analytical examinations and testing, including removal of the compression wrap so that the tulip can be fully examined, of a sample of high service-time 568F propeller blades with serial numbers 1,699 or greater to determine if rust and corrosion pitting are occurring in the fillet radius, and, on the basis of the results of those examinations, require additional inspections, modifications, or repairs as appropriate.
Issued: 15-FEB-2002	To: Hamilton Sundstrand Model 568F1 Propellers	EAD 2002-04-52
Superseded the previous AD but retained the blade-removal program and required ultrasonic inspections by March 4, 2002, for cracks on all blades that were manufactured before a design change that was implemented to prevent corrosion. (Superseded by AD 2002-05-51)
Issued: 07-MAR-2002	To: Hamilton Sundstrand Model 568F1 Propellers	AD 2002-05-51
Requires replacement of propeller blades, part numbers (P/N\'s) R8155052 and R8155053, that have a serial number (SN) of FR1698 or lower, with serviceable propeller blades, a prohibition against installing any propeller blades, P/N\'s R8155052 and R8155053, that have a SN of FR428 or lower, that were previously installed on an ATR42400 or an ATR72 airplane, on any other airplane, and initial and repetitive ultrasonic shear wave inspection of the blade tulip on installed blades P/N\'s R8155052 and R8155053, that have a SN of FR1698 or lower (Superseded by AD 2002-15-03)
Issued: 25-JUL-2002	To: Hamilton Sundstrand Model 568F1 Propellers	AD 2002-15-03
This amendment requires the same actions as AD 2002-05-51, and also requires replacing certain SN blades before further flight. This amendment also requires initial and repetitive ultrasonic shear wave inspections of the blade tulip on installed blades with specific part numbers.

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Map

This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Cartagena-Rafael Núñez Airport to Bucaramanga-Palo Negro Airport as the crow flies is 446 km (279 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.

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