Saturday, February 02, 2019

Piper PA-34-200 Seneca I, registered to and operated by American Flight Training LLC, N16499: Accident occurred August 19, 2016 in Hollywood, Broward County, Florida


The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Miramar, Florida
Hartzell Propeller Inc; Piqua, Ohio

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms


http://registry.faa.gov/N16499



Location: Hollywood, FL
Accident Number: ERA16LA295
Date & Time: 08/19/2016, 1130 EDT
Registration: N16499
Aircraft: PIPER PA34
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Part(s) separation from AC
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under:  Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional 

On August 19, 2016, at 1130 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200, N16499, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Hollywood, Florida. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were uninjured. The airplane was registered to and operated by American Flight Training LLC. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed from North Perry Airport (HWO), Hollywood Florida, about 1100.

The purpose of the flight was to perform practice maneuvers in preparation for a multiengine instructor practical examination. According to the flight instructor, the pilot receiving instruction was at the controls and had just completed a right turn at an altitude of 3,300 feet mean sea level, when he heard a loud noise and observed something separate from the right engine. He took the controls and headed east toward the airport, when he noticed the airplane would not maintain altitude. According to the pilot receiving instruction, the right engine had partially separated from its mounts, and was angled downward. The instructor performed a forced landing to an area of tall sawgrass and shallow water.

Examination of the wreckage at the scene by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the right engine had separated from its mounts and was found about 75 feet in front of the airplane. One propeller blade was missing and the propeller hub was fractured. The left wing trailing edge and aileron were substantially damaged. The empennage was buckled on both sides near the mid-section attachment point.

Metallurgical examination of the right engine propeller hub revealed a features consistent with a fatigue fracture along a grease-fitting hole (for more information, see Materials Laboratory Factual Report for this accident in the NTSB public docket).

An FAA airworthiness directive (AD 2008-13-28) had been issued on July 2, 2008 (and was superseded by AD 2009-22-03 on November 12, 2009). The 2009 AD required initial (within 50 hours time in service) and repetitive (every 100 hours) eddy current inspection of the area around the lubrication holes of the propeller hub blade sockets. The AD resulted from four reports of propeller hub cracks and was applicable to the make and model accident propeller hub.

Maintenance records revealed that the airplane's most recent 100-hour inspection (which included inspection of both propellers) occurred on May 27, 2016, at which time the propeller installed on the right engine had accrued a total of 7,100 hours, with 380 hours since overhaul on June 2, 2015. The airplane flew about 60 hours since that inspection. Review of the maintenance records did not reveal any documentation that AD 2008-13-28 (or 2009-22-03) had been complied with on the overhauled accident propeller. 



Flight Instructor Information

Certificate: Airline Transport
Age: 51, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Multi-engine; Airplane Single-engine; Instrument Airplane
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 1 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 04/18/2016
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 02/02/2015
Flight Time:  10995 hours (Total, all aircraft), 1150 hours (Total, this make and model), 9300 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 135 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 89 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 6 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)

Pilot-Rated Passenger Information

Certificate: Commercial
Age: 22, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: 3-point
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Single-engine; Instrument Airplane
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 1 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 08/12/2014
Occupational Pilot: No
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 06/22/2016
Flight Time:  429 hours (Total, all aircraft), 40 hours (Total, this make and model), 335 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 86 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 50 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)



Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information


Aircraft Make: PIPER
Registration: N16499
Model/Series: PA34 200
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1973
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 34-7350132
Landing Gear Type: Retractable - Tricycle
Seats: 6
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 05/27/2016, 100 Hour
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 3999 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 61 Hours
Engines: 2 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 7160 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: Installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: IO-360-C1E6
Registered Owner: AMERICAN FLIGHT TRAINING LLC
Rated Power: 200 hp
Operator: AMERICAN FLIGHT TRAINING LLC
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Pilot School (141)

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan


Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KHWO, 9 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 19 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1155 EDT
Direction from Accident Site: 95°
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 4000 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 3 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: None / None
Wind Direction: 120°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: N/A / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 30.06 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 32°C / 23°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: HOLLYWOOD, FL (HWO)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: HOLLYWOOD, FL (HWO)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1100 EDT
Type of Airspace: Class G

Wreckage and Impact Information


Crew Injuries: 2 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude:  26.026667, -80.592778

NTSB Identification: ERA16LA295
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, August 19, 2016 in Hollywood, FL
Aircraft: PIPER PA34, registration: N16499
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On August 19, 2016, at 1130 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200, N16499, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in the everglades near Hollywood, Florida. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were uninjured. The airplane was registered to and operated by American Flight Training LLC. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed from North Perry Airport (HWO), Hollywood Florida, about 1100.

The purpose of the flight was to perform practice maneuvers in preparation for a multi-engine instructor practical examination. According to the flight instructor, the pilot under instruction was at the controls and had just completed a right turn at an altitude of 3,300 feet mean sea level, when he heard a loud noise and observed something separate from the right engine. He took the controls and headed east toward the airport, when he noticed the airplane would not maintain altitude. According to the pilot under instruction, the right engine had partially separated from its mounts, and was angled downward. The instructor performed a forced landing to an area of tall sawgrass and shallow water in the everglades.

Examination of the wreckage at the scene by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the right engine had separated from its mounts, as was found about 75 feet in front of the airplane. One propeller blade was missing and the propeller hub was fractured. The left wing trailing edge and aileron were substantially damaged. The empennage was buckled on both sides near the mid-section attachment point.

Maintenance records revealed that the airplane's most recent 100-hour inspection (which included inspection of both propellers) occurred on May 27, 2016, at which time the propeller installed on the right engine had accrued a total of 7,100 hours, with 380 hours since overhaul. The airplane flew about 60 hours since that inspection.

The right engine and propeller assembly were retained for later examination.

2 comments:

  1. Not sure why a flight school wouldn’t replace the ad hubs with new non ad hubs. Cost is probably $5000 for two, including overhaul if blades pass. Sure you can go the recurring inspection route, which is in compliance but questionable based on history of hubs cracking. I personally would not operate this way. Sounds like a loser operation. People are not expendable.

    ReplyDelete
  2. FYI, also associated with Wayman Aviation. They use same aircraft for training. I would check thier record also before engaging training,

    ReplyDelete