Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Wrightwood, California 92397
Sunday, June 23, 1991 11:50 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT ABOUT 5,600 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL WHEN THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD NOISE FOLLOWED BY SEVERE VIBRATIONS. THE PILOT PULLED THE FUEL MIXTURE CONTROL AND ENTERED A POWER-OFF FORCED LANDING. ON SHORT FINAL, THE PILOT NOTICED WIRES IN HIS GLIDE PATH. HE MANEUVERED THE AIRCRAFT UNDER THE WIRES. HE LANDED ON UNEVEN TERRAIN AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ABOUT 17 INCHES OF ONE PROPELLER BLADE OUTBOARD SECTION FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE. THE PROPELLER WAS CUT DOWN FROM A 74' DIAMETER TO A DIAMETER OF 68' AND PUT ON THE AIRCRAFT WITH A LYCOMING 0-320 E ENGINE. THIS IS AN UNAPPROVED COMBINATION AND THE PROPELLER FAILED AFTER ABOUT 20 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME IN THAT COMBINATION. AN INDEPENDENT LABORATORY EXAMINED THE PROPELLER AND CONCLUDED THAT THE FATIGUE FAILURE WAS AS A RESULT OF A FORGING DEFECT. THE NTSB LABORATORY REVIEWED THAT REPORT AND DETERMINED THAT THE INDEPENDENT LABORATORY'S CONCLUSION WAS NOT SUBSTANTIATED.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FATIGUE FRACTURE OF ONE OF THE TWO PROPELLER BLADES CAUSED BY THE PROPELLER MODIFICATION AND THE NON-APPROVED PROPELLER-ENGINE COMBINATION. A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE TRANSMISSION WIRES AS AN OBSTACLE IN THE GLIDE PATH DURING THE ATTEMPTED FORCED LANDING.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/23/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1150 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | WRIGHTWOOD |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 92397 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1145 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 220 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | VCV |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 2875 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 17 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 25000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 40 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 260 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 14 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 640 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 44949 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4081K |
| NTSB Number | LAX91LA269 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | GREEN-FOWLER |
| Aircraft Model | PAZMANY PL-1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PAZMANY PL |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1630 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 0 |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | LAWRENCE TOMASELLO |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 18452 [POPLAR AVE. |
| Aircraft Owner City | SHAFTER |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 93263 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | LAWRENCE TOMASELLO |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | 18452 [POPLAR AVE. |
| Operator City | SHAFTER |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 93263 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | L19 |
| Departure City | BAKERSFIELD |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1050 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | L12 |
| Destination City | REDLANDS |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |