Snow 600 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, November 14, 2008
On November 14, 2008 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Snow 600, registered N1691S, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Nashville, Tennessee. It was a positioning 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 failure of the propeller shaft seal in flight. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 2008 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Snow 600 S2C · all 600s on the register
- Registration
- N1691S · no longer on the register · serial 600-1273C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The owner of the Snow 600 aerial application airplane stated that the airplane had not been flown “in some time.” The airplane was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 series engine. According to the pilot, he agreed to reposition the airplane to another airport as a favor for the owner. The day before the flight, the pilot examined the airplane, and conducted an engine run-up to assure himself that the airplane appeared to be acceptable for flight. He reported some minor airframe discrepancies to the owner, and these were rectified prior to the accident flight. The airplane was not flown between the pilot's initial examination and the accident flight. Several minutes after takeoff on the positioning flight, the pilot noted that oil began to coat his windshield, and he saw white smoke emanating from the engine area. He selected a field for a forced landing, and conducted an uneventful touchdown. During the rollout, the right wing struck a tree, approximately 3 feet inboard from the wingtip. The airplane partially rotated around the tree, and the right main landing gear and tailwheel were damaged. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a mechanic revealed that oil had leaked from an undetermined location at the forward end of the engine near the propeller shaft and hub assembly.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng front section › Malfunction
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Ability to respond/compensate
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 13,250 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 15, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,505 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 20, 1991
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R 1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN at 6:00 pm
- Destination: THA Tullahoma TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from BNA, 6 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.