Bacon QUESTAIR-VENTURE N4QV

Summary

On 21 January 1995 at about 21:37 local time, a Bacon QUESTAIR-VENTURE registered N4QV, operated by Questair, Inc., was involved in an accident near Des Moines, Iowa, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 January 1995 at 21:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Des Moines International (DSM)

Coordinates

41.5292, -93.6596

Aircraft

Bacon QUESTAIR-VENTURE

Registration

N4QV

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Questair, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palwaukee → Cheyenne

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI95FA071

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the emergency descent, resulting in a stall/spin. Factors were material defects in the material used to manufacture the crankshaft, resulting in the crankshaft fracturing after approximately 200 hours in service.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PRIVATE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY WHILE AT 16,000 FEET IN VFR CONDITIONS OVERHEAD THE 9,000 FOOT RUNWAY. DURING THE DESCENT HE STATED HIS ENGINE RAN ROUGH, THEN SMOOTHED OUT. APPROXIMATELY 4,000 FT AGL HE STATED HE 'HAD A MAJOR PROBLEM...COMING DOWN.' WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE AIRPLANE IN A STEEP DESCENT, THEN ENTERING A SPIN AT APPROXIMATELY 1,000 FT AGL. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED 3/4 MILE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. TESTING REVEALED THE CRANKSHAFT FAILED IN 2 PLACES, BOTH WITH AREAS OF FATIGUE CRACKING. THE FATIGUE ORIGIN WAS SUBSURFACE, THE SHAFT WAS MACHINED, NOT FORGED, AND HAD AN ESTIMATED 150 TO 200 HOURS IN OPERATION. NO OTHER DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND WITH THE AIRPLANE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.