Icon A5 N838BA

Summary

On 3 June 2020 at about 21:30 local time, a Icon A5 registered N838BA was involved in an accident near Duluth, Minnesota, United States. 2 people were 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

3 June 2020 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Duluth, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Sky Harbor Airport (KDYT)

Coordinates

46.7253, -92.0481

Aircraft

Icon A5

Registration

N838BA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2019

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Duluth → Duluth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA207

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to remove an object from the airplane’s exterior, which impacted the propeller blades when he applied full power, causing them to fracture and damage the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot taxied the amphibian airplane downwind on the water for takeoff. When facing into the wind, he applied full power; about 5 seconds later, he heard a "loud bang." The propeller blades separated and penetrated the fuselage, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane's fuselage. The pilot reported that, immediately before the accident flight, he had placed a portable speaker on the top of the airplane and did not recall removing the speaker before departure. The pilot stated, "the speaker must have rolled over the engine compartment and into the propellers." It is likely that the audio speaker, which was left on the airplane, struck the propeller blades, which resulted in the propeller blades separating from the propeller and penetrating the fuselage. 

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.