Bob Frederick TITAN T-51 N51FB

Summary

On 4 June 2017 at about 16:17 local time, a Bob Frederick TITAN T-51 registered N51FB was involved in an accident near Goodyear, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 June 2017 at 16:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Goodyear, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix Goodyear (GYR)

Coordinates

33.4339, -112.3669

Aircraft

Bob Frederick TITAN T-51

Registration

N51FB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Goodyear → Goodyear

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR17LA121

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the propeller speed reduction gearbox input drive gear during the airplane’s initial climb for reasons that could not be determined due to extensive damage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot indicated that, immediately after takeoff for the local flight, the experimental, amateur-built airplane began to vibrate. As he transitioned the airplane to the downwind leg, the vibration increased, and the engine then experienced an overspeed and lost all power. The cockpit filled with smoke and the pilot subsequently performed a forced off-airport landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and aft fuselage. The airplane had accrued about 43 flight hours since its construction, which was completed about 2 years before the accident. Examination of the propeller speed reduction gearbox revealed that the teeth of the input drive gear had separated, which caused a loss of drive continuity to the propeller. The drive and idler gears did not appear to meet the manufacturer's case hardness requirements; however, evidence suggests that the gearbox had undergone severe heat buildup during the failure sequence, which may have subsequently altered the hardness. Oil starvation or exhaustion likely did not occur, as the gearbox bearings were intact and largely undamaged. Due to damage sustained to the gears, an accurate assessment of the initial failure mode could not be determined. Thus, the investigation could not determine the reason for the failure of the propeller speed reduction gearbox input drive gear.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.