Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Ontario Int'l Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Ontario, California 91764
Friday, September 15, 1989 6:52 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PROPELLER SEPARATED FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE PROPELLER HUB FRACTURE RESULTED IN ONE OF THE THREE PROPELLER BLADES DETACHING FROM THE HUB. THE REST OF THE PROPELLER HUB THEN SEPARATED STRIKING THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE FUSELAGE. OIL WAS SPREAD ACROSS THE AIRCRAFT NOSE AND WINDSHEILD. THE FUSELAGE RIGHT SIDE DAMAGE INCREASED AERODYNAMIC DRAG. WITNESSES REPORTED THE ENGINE COWLING WAS TORN. THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A RIGHT TURN AND DIVE. IT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEAR INVERTED ATTITUDE. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED PROP HUB REVEALED METAL FATIGUE EMANATING FROM THE THREADED HOLE FOR THE GREASE FITTING. THE THREADS HAD BEEN DEFORMED BY SHOT PEENING, RESULTING IN INCREASED STRESS CONCENTRATIONS AT THE THREADS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FAILURE OF THE RIGHT PROPELLER HUB DUE TO METAL FATIGUE WHICH RESULTED IN CATASTROPHIC SEPARATION OF THE PROPELLER. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS DAMAGE DONE TO THE AIRCRAFT AIRFRAME IN FLIGHT BY THE SEPARATING PROPELLER MAKING THE AIRCRAFT UNCONTROLLABLE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/15/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 652 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | ONTARIO |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 91764 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | ONTARIO INT'L |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | ONT |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 943 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 650 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 142 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ONT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 943 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 2 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 200 |
| 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) | 7 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2303 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 15 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 700 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 42375 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 1:03PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N70PE |
| NTSB Number | LAX89FA314 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-31-350 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-31-350 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 31-805 2137 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 7000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 8 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | AAIP |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 22 1989 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 39 |
| Airframe Hours | 3118 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | JACK WALL AIRCRAFT SALES INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 2488 WINCHESTER BOX 50247 HG 1 |
| Aircraft Owner City | MEMPHIS |
| Aircraft Owner State | TN |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 38180 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | AMERIFLIGHT |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 4700 EMPIRE AVENUE |
| Operator City | BURBANK |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 91505 |
| Operator Code | JIKA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| 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 | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Cargo |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | ONT |
| Departure City | ONTARIO |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 650 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | SBA |
| Destination City | SANTA BARBARA |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| 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 | 0R |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |