ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 131680
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 23 June 1991 |
| Time: | 11:50 LT |
| Type: | Pazmany PL-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Lawrence Tomasello |
| Registration: | N4081K |
| MSN: | 1 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320E |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Wrightwood, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Bakersfield, CA (L19) |
| Redlands, CA (L12) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT ABOUT 5,600 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL WHEN THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD NOISE FOLLOWED BY SEVERE VIBRATIONS. THE PILOT PULLED THE FUEL MIXTURE CONTROL AND ENTERED A POWER-OFF FORCED LANDING. ON SHORT FINAL, THE PILOT NOTICED WIRES IN HIS GLIDE PATH. HE MANEUVERED THE AIRCRAFT UNDER THE WIRES. HE LANDED ON UNEVEN TERRAIN AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ABOUT 17 INCHES OF ONE PROPELLER BLADE OUTBOARD SECTION FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE. THE PROPELLER WAS CUT DOWN FROM A 74' DIAMETER TO A DIAMETER OF 68' AND PUT ON THE AIRCRAFT WITH A LYCOMING 0-320 E ENGINE. THIS IS AN UNAPPROVED COMBINATION AND THE PROPELLER FAILED AFTER ABOUT 20 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME IN THAT COMBINATION. AN INDEPENDENT LABORATORY EXAMINED THE PROPELLER AND CONCLUDED THAT THE FATIGUE FAILURE WAS AS A RESULT OF A FORGING DEFECT. THE NTSB LABORATORY REVIEWED THAT REPORT AND DETERMINED THAT THE INDEPENDENT LABORATORY'S CONCLUSION WAS NOT SUBSTANTIATED.
Probable Cause: FATIGUE FRACTURE OF ONE OF THE TWO PROPELLER BLADES CAUSED BY THE PROPELLER MODIFICATION AND THE NON-APPROVED PROPELLER-ENGINE COMBINATION. A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE TRANSMISSION WIRES AS AN OBSTACLE IN THE GLIDE PATH DURING THE ATTEMPTED FORCED LANDING.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX91LA269
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 11-Apr-2024 14:32 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation