Cessna 320 N3011T
8 July 1991 · Reno, Nevada, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 8 July 1991 at about 23:15 local time, a Cessna 320 registered N3011T, operated by David E. Baskett, was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Reno, Nevada, United States
- Nearest airport
- Reno-Cannon (RNO)
- Coordinates
- 39.4802, -119.7398
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320
- Registration
- N3011T
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- David E. Baskett
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Santa Maria
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91LA300
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER FEATHERING COUNTER WEIGHT CLAMP ASSEMBLY.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE APPLIED FULL POWER AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS ACCELERATING THROUGH 30 KNOTS ON THE TAKEOFF GROUND ROLL WHEN HE HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION. THE PILOT ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AND TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT A CLAMP WHICH RETAINS ONE OF THE FEATHERING COUNTER WEIGHTS ON THE LEFT PROPELLER HAD SEPARATED, AND THE COUNTER WEIGHT PENETRATED THROUGH THE NOSE STRUCTURE OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FAILED CLAMP ASSEMBLY WAS SENT TO THE FACTORY UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE FAA CHICAGO AIRCRAFT CERTIFICATION OFFICE FOR DETAILED ANALYSIS. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT OF THE EXAMINATION, THE FRACTURE WAS FOUND TO BE OF A FATIGUE TYPE, WITH THE ORIGIN ON THE LOWER INSIDE CORNER OF THE STEEL STRAP. CHEMICAL AND HARDNESS TESTS OF THE ASSEMBLY REVEALED THAT THE PART MET SPECIFICATIONS. THE REASON FOR THE FRACTURE INITIATION WAS UNDETERMINED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 320 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jun 1991 | Cessna 320F | Washington, Indiana, United States | DR. John C. Roberts | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 1991 | Cessna 320E | Elkhart, Indiana, United States | Warner, Jack E. | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 1991 | Cessna 320 | Middleton, Wisconsin, United States | Gregory D. Held | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1991 | Cessna 320D | Gorman, California, United States | John P. Culhane | Fatal | 3 |
| 6 Oct 1991 | Cessna 320 | Gadsden, Alabama, United States | Barker, E. Gerry | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 1992 | Cessna 320D | Aztec, New Mexico, United States | Dabbs, Thurman C. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-32-300 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Joseph Pastuszek | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft V-35 | Minden, Nevada, United States | Sanford Friezner | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Aug 1991 | Schweizer SGS 126E | Sutcliffe, Nevada, United States | Nevada Soaring Assoc., Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 1991 | Hiller UH12D | Sparks, Nevada, United States | Pathfinder Technology Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jun 1991 | Boeing 737-3G7 | Elko, Nevada, United States | America West Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Sep 1991 | North American AT-6G | Reno, Nevada, United States | James A. Mott | Minor injuries | - |