Beech 58 incident near Evansville, Indiana, June 8, 2022
On June 8, 2022 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 1990 Beech 58, registered N78KL, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute near Evansville, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the propeller blade due to high-cycle fatigue that originated from damage that occurred at an unknown time. Contributing to the accident was the failure to identify the damage before the accident flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2022 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Evansville, Indiana · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 UNDESIGNAT, built 1990 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N78KL · registry record · serial TH-1578
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was about 1 hour into the cross-country flight when the pilot heard a “boom” noise. The airframe began vibrating, and the airplane yawed to the left. The pilot contacted approach control and stated that he needed to land the airplane immediately. The pilot was directed to divert, and he landed the airplane without incident. After exiting the airplane, the pilot noticed that one of the aluminum propeller blades on the left engine had separated about midspan, resulting in minor damage. The “boom” that the pilot heard was likely the blade separating in flight. Examination of the fracture surface revealed signatures consistent with high-cycle fatigue failure. The fatigue origin area was coincident with an area of damage that was covered with a thick black paint. The paint had a slightly different composition than the thinner layer of black paint on the rest of the blade. No evidence indicated any repair in the area of the damage and investigators were unable to determine when the damage was painted. Although the investigation could not determine, based on the available evidence for this incident, when the damage that led to the fracture occurred, or when the damage was painted, it is likely the damaged area was present at the airplane’s most recent 100-hour inspection, which occurred 28 hours before the incident. The presence of the black paint could have made it difficult to detect the damage during the mechanic’s visual inspection of the blade surface during the airplane’s most recent 100-hour inspection. Had the damage been detected during the 100-hr inspection it should have triggered maintenance of the propeller blade. The damage was also hidden but detectable during the preflight inspection conducted by the pilot before the accident flight. Had the damage been detected by the pilot, it should have triggered further examination and maintenance of the propeller blade.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Repair › Maintenance personnel
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Maintenance personnel
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Unauthorized maint/repair › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Incorrect service/maintenance
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,734 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 3,178 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 21, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,969.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 10, 2022; 27.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental Motors IO-550 Series (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental Motors IO-550 Series (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Nea Industrial LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PGR Paragould AR at 3:00 pm
- Destination: DAY Dayton OH
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 am from KEVV, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KEVV 081554Z 17011KT 9SM BKN016 25/21 A2982 RMK AO2 SLP092 T02500206
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on January 30, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Additional Questions - Pilot | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Various Statements | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Left Side Propeller Records | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Hartzell Propeller - Field Report | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 22-102 | PDF, 22 pages | View Download |
| 8 | N78KL ADS-B Data (Google Earth - .Kmz File) | map file | Download |
| 9 | N78KL ADS-B Data (Microsoft Excel - .Xlsx File) | spreadsheet | Download |
| 10 | Beechcraft 58 POH and AFM Excerpt - Preflight Inspection | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 11 | NTSB Party Member Form - Hartzell Propeller | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.