Pietenpol BIG PIET N973BP

Summary

On 16 July 2019 at about 18:00 local time, a Pietenpol BIG PIET registered N973BP was involved in an accident near Gainesboro, Tennessee, 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

16 July 2019 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gainesboro, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Jackson County (1A7)

Coordinates

36.3958, -85.6414

Aircraft

Pietenpol BIG PIET

Registration

N973BP

Category

Airplane

Year built

2009

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Athens → Oshkosh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA228

Nobody was injured.

Separation of the spinner cap for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence, which resulted in contact and subsequent separation of the wooden propeller blade tip.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that about 2 hours into a cross-country flight, he experienced an airplane vibration and determined a section of the propeller departed the airplane. He shut the engine down due to severe vibration. He intended to land at the nearest airport but realized the airplane would not reach the runway and set up for a landing on a grass field. The airplane landed hard and the landing gear split, buckling the lower longerons. The airplane then slid into the airport perimeter fence. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the left wing was damaged, and the fuselage frame was bent. The propeller spinner was not located at the accident site and one propeller blade was missing the blade tip. The wood propeller was sent to the propeller manufacturer for further investigation. Examination determined the portion of the missing blade separated as a result of a strike to the propeller by an object. The examination could not definitively identify the spinner as the object that struck the blade; however , it is likely the missing spinner departed the airplane inflight and impacted the propeller blade. The reason the spinner departed the airplane could not be determined based on available evidence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.