Boyle Black Eagle BE360 N72BJ

Summary

On 23 May 2003 at about 18:40 local time, a Boyle Black Eagle BE360 registered N72BJ was involved in an accident near Celina, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 May 2003 at 18:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Celina, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.2083, -96.7417

Aircraft

Boyle Black Eagle BE360

Registration

N72BJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mc Kinney → Celina

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA171

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of propeller pitch effectiveness for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 1,222-hour pilot reported that during the flight several aerobatic maneuvers were completed with "no apparent abnormalities." A "half loop down" was initiated at an approximate airspeed of 95 to 100 mph. At the base of the maneuver, at an approximate airspeed of 160 to 170 mph, the pilot heard a "loud high pitch noise accompanied by a rapid decrease in airspeed." The pilot reduced the power to idle, increased the mixture to rich and cycled the propeller pitch to high, then to low. The pilot observed the tachometer "falling through 3,800 rpm." The pilot stated that "repeated attempts to bring the rpm within range using the throttle and propeller controls failed as the aircraft appeared to be descending between 500 and 1,000 feet per minute at an airspeed of 95 mph." During the descent, the pilot observed "the tachometer continuing to show the engine turning at 3,200 rpm with the throttle at idle." Subsequently, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a wheat field. During the landing roll, the left main wheel hit a hole, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Examination of the propeller governor by a FAA inspector revealed, "small amounts of metal flakes were blocking the pressure relief valve from opening and to stick in the closed position." The propeller governor was sent to the manufacturer for further examination. The propeller governor was noted to be free of anomalies during the bench test and examination at the manufacturers facility.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.