Piper PA-28R-200 incident near Lacon, Illinois, June 18, 2012
On June 18, 2012 at about 3:45 pm local time, a 1971 Piper PA-28R-200, registered N4350T, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Lacon, Illinois (Marshall County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The propeller blade’s failure due to a fatigue crack that originated from a surface gouge that resulted from foreign object damage to the propeller blade that occurred at an unknown time.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2012 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lacon, Illinois · Marshall County Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200, built 1971 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N4350T · registry record · serial 28R-7235014
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was flying the airplane at 4,500 feet mean sea level with 23 inches of manifold pressure and with the engine at 2,350 to 2,400 rpm when the airplane began to abnormally vibrate. He scanned the instruments and observed no other abnormal indications. He executed an emergency landing to an airport without incident. The examination of the airplane revealed that about 6 inches of a propeller blade tip had separated from the propeller. The metallurgical examination of the fracture surface revealed that a fatigue crack had originated about 0.06 inch from the blade's leading edge. A surface gouge was found at the origin of the fatigue crack, which indicated that the direction of the damage was from the leading to trailing edge consistent with foreign object impact to a rotating propeller. A test of the airplane's tachometer revealed that it was indicating 50 rpm higher than the actual propeller rpm and that it had a restricted propeller operating range from 2,100 to 2,350 rpm. When the pilot set the propeller to 2,350 or 2,400 rpm using the airplane's tachometer, the actual rpm would have been operating within the restricted rpm range.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aircraft structural failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Damaged/degraded
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller indicating system › Damaged/degraded
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller indicating system › Not serviced/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,697 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 632 hours total
- Operator: Marshall County Flying Club INC
The flight
- Departed from: C75 Lacon IL at 3:08 pm
- Destination: C75 Lacon IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from BMI, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.