Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Dillant Hopkins Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Swanzey, New Hampshire 03431
Monday, September 2, 2002 11:00 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The six-passenger airplane arrived at the departure airport with a malfunctioning landing gear system. Due to lack of maintenance personnel, the pilot elected to conduct the accident flight with the landing gear extended. The airplane departed with seven occupants, near the certified gross weight. Witnesses observed the airplane flying about 200-300 feet above the ground, with its engines "sputtering and backfiring." The airplane made a left turn towards the airport, descended, and came to rest in a wooded area about 2 miles southeast of the airport. Examination of the right engine revealed the propeller was not feathered, and the number 5 cylinder head was fractured about 3/4 inch from the bottom of the upper portion of the head. A fatigue fracture initiated in the root radius of the cylinder head thread that engaged with the top thread on the cylinder barrel. Indentations and displaced material on the upper and lower flanks of the cylinder head threads matched with the locations of protruding material observed on the cylinder barrel threads. The protruding material was located on the flank/crown radius of the threads, and was consistent with the folding over of a burr into the thread, originating during the manufacturing process. The number 5 cylinder assembly consisted of a new cylinder head that had been installed on a remanufactured barrel. The right engine was remanufactured in 2001, and had accumulated about 140 total hours of operation since. According to 14 CFR Part 91.7, "No person may operate a civil aircraft unless it is in an airworthy condition. The pilot in command of a civil aircraft is responsible for determining whether that aircraft is in condition for safe flight. The pilot in command shall discontinue the flight when unairworthy mechanical, electrical, or structural conditions occur." According to 14 CFR Part 91.107, "...each person on board a U.S.-registered civil aircraft must occupy an approved seat or berth with a safety belt...during movement on the surface, takeoff, and landing." According to the Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3), Transition to a Multiengine Airplanes, "When one engine fails on a multiengine airplane, performance is not halved, but is reduced by approximately 80 percent."
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's improper preflight planning, and his decision to depart with known mechanical deficiencies to the landing gear system, which resulted in a forced landing, during a partial loss of power on one engine. Factors related to the accident were the fatigue failure of an engine cylinder barrel, the inadequate manufacturing process of the cylinder barrel, the pilot's inability to retract the landing gear, and his failure to feather the propeller of the affected engine.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/2/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1100 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | Swanzey |
| Event State | NEW HAMPSHIRE |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 03431 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 425200N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0721432W |
| Event Location Airport | Dillant Hopkins Airport |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | EEN |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 2 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 140 |
| Airport Elevation | 488 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1055 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 320 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | EEN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 488 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 2 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 1900 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 20 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.21 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 1148 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 7 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 7 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 15608 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA New England Comm Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 2 2002 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1130 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jun 3 2004 1:28PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | FSDO-05 Portland, ME |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6688D |
| NTSB Number | NYC02FA178 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | In-flight |
| Aircraft Explosion | Ground |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Beechcraft |
| Aircraft Model | 58P |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | TJ-242 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6240 |
| 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 | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 4 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 2699 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | 6688Delta, Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Willmington |
| Aircraft Owner State | SC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19810 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | EEN |
| Departure City | -- |
| Departure State | -- |
| Departure Country | -- |
| Departure Time | 1058 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | CRW |
| Destination City | Charleston |
| Destination State | WV |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Emergency descent/landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 20 2004 2:27PM |
| User who most recently changed record | PEAR |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |