Jdt 1600R UNREG

Summary

On 6 July 2013 at about 22:45 local time, a Jdt 1600R registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Chesaning, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 July 2013 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Chesaning, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Howard Nixon Memorial (50G)

Coordinates

43.1892, -84.1306

Aircraft

Jdt 1600R

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chesaning → Chesaning

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA401

1 person died.

The failure of the propeller reduction gearbox and the pilot’s subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall and spin. Contributing to the accident were the inadequate maintenance of the airplane and the student pilot’s lack of experience in performing emergency procedures.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane heading north, turning, and then losing control. One witness stated that engine was "inordinately loud" and that the airplane appeared to enter a "nose dive." Another witness reported that the engine sounded like it was "cutting out" as the airplane spun to the ground. The pilot had been issued a student pilot certificate about 7 years before the accident; however, no pilot flight logbooks were recovered, so the pilot's level of training could not be determined. A postaccident examination of the airframe and flight control system revealed no anomalies. An examination of the engine showed that all of the teeth of one of the two gears in the propeller reduction gearbox were broken off. Additionally, the ball retaining cage on one of the ball bearings that supported the propeller shaft had failed, and several of the balls were missing from the bearing. A sludgelike substance resembling old oil was found in the gear reduction case, and no liquid oil was found, which is indicative of inadequate maintenance. No airplane maintenance records were found. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the bearing and gear in the propeller reduction gearbox failed as a result of inadequate maintenance (lack of lubrication), which resulted in a loss of propeller thrust and reduced the airplane's airspeed. The pilot did not obtain adequate airspeed (by lowering the nose), which led to the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent stall and spin to the ground. Because the pilot only held a student pilot certificate with an unknown level of training over the previous 7 years, it is likely that he did not have sufficient experience to handle the in-flight emergency.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.