Socata TB10 N189TB

Summary

On 15 July 2012 at about 18:00 local time, a Socata TB10 registered N189TB, operated by Pacca Club Inc, was involved in an incident near Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 July 2012 at 18:00

Classification

Incident

Location

Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States

Nearest airport

North Central State Airport (SFZ)

Coordinates

41.9206, -71.4914

Aircraft

Socata TB10

Registration

N189TB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Pacca Club Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pawtucket → Pawtucket

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12IA459

Nobody was injured.

The in-flight separation of the propeller blade tip due to a fatigue fracture.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During departure, as the airplane reached an altitude of about 800 feet above ground level, the tip of one propeller blade separated. The flight instructor returned the airplane to the runway and landed without incident. The separated blade tip was not located; however, the remaining section of propeller blade was examined, and a fracture analysis was performed. The results of the analysis revealed fatigue crack propagation, followed by a final overstress fracture. The fatigue crack origin could not be accurately determined because the pertinent portion of blade’s leading edge suffered from postfracture damage, which likely occurred during removal or shipment. This postfracture damage also precluded determination of fatigue crack growthe timing or propagation. However, the fatigue and overstress fractures were consistent with other blade tip fractures that have occurred as a result of excessive vibrations within the propeller blade, typically as a result of a propeller ground strike. The incident airplane’s propeller blades were manufactured 32 years before the incident, and the manufacturer imposed no life limits on the blades as long as they passed the required overhaul inspections. The incident propeller blades were overhauled twice in the 3 years before the incident. The first overhaul was performed as a result of a propeller strike, and the reason for the second overhaul was not documented. At the time of the incident, the blades had accumulated 852 hours since the most recent overhaul, which occurred 18 months before the incident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.