Smith Edward I LANCAIR IV-P N9JE

Summary

On 15 March 2010 at about 22:10 local time, a Smith Edward I LANCAIR IV-P registered N9JE, operated by Smith Edward I, was involved in an accident near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States. 3 people were on board. One person on the ground also died. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 March 2010 at 22:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

32.1572, -80.7231

Aircraft

Smith Edward I LANCAIR IV-P

Registration

N9JE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Smith Edward I

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Orlando → Norfolk

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA175

Injuries not recorded.

A loss of engine power due to the failure of the crankshaft as a result of a previous propeller strike.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

**This report was modified on 8/8/13. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.** The pilot stated that while in cruise flight he observed the instrument panel begin to vibrate heavily and oil begin to cover the wind screen before hearing a loud "bang." The engine then lost power as oil continued to obscure the wind screen. The pilot had no forward visibility and could not maintain the airplane's altitude. He elected to make an emergency landing on a nearby beach and during the landing the airplane struck and killed a pedestrian. Examination of the airplane revealed that the propeller assembly separated from the crankshaft and was missing. The propeller assembly and propeller flange were not recovered. An examination by the NTSB Materials Laboratory of the crankshaft revealed that the aft face of the fracture contained crack arrest marks. The fracture of the crankshaft was caused by multiple-origin fatigue cracks that emanated at the aft relief radius for the propeller flange. The records for this engine and airplane do not show an entry of a propeller strike. However, multiple-origin fatigue cracks that extend nearly 50% around the circumference of the aft relief radius for the propeller flange suggest that the propeller had struck an object prior to fracture of the crankshaft. In the absence of material anomalies, the fatigue cracking appears likely to have been caused by external impact stress, such as a propeller strike.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.