Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Corona, California 91718
Tuesady, August 15, 2000 10:03 PDT

The amateur-built airplane collided with ground obstructions during a forced landing on an interstate highway following the in-flight separation of a portion of one propeller blade. An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the airplane and interviewed the pilot. The pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight when it suddenly began to shake violently. The pilot believed he had lost part of the wooden propeller and turned to return to the departure airport. The shaking through the airframe became intense and the pilot was unsure of the continued integrity of the airframe. He decided to land on a major interstate highway beneath the airplane. During the landing rollout, the airplane was quickly catching up to automobiles on the road ahead and the pilot intentionally steered the airplane to the right shoulder to avoid a collision with the vehicles. The right wing contacted a light pole and slued the airplane nose first into another pole. The second collision with the pole shattered the propeller into small splinters. The airplane continued down an embankment and collided with additional brush. The FAA inspector searched the area and was able to identify one propeller blade tip in the propeller fragments scattered over the site. The second tip could not be located. According to the pilot, the aircraft owner built the airplane prior to 1990 and obtained an initial airworthiness and registration certificate, then placed the airplane into storage. The airplane did not fly from 1990 until weeks before the accident. The pilot was in the process of flying the initial 40 operating hours for an unrestricted experimental airworthiness certificate and had flown the airplane about 11 hours.

The failure and separation of one wooden propeller blade for undetermined reasons.