Amateur-built ULTIMATE AERO 10-200 accident near Saint Albans, Vermont, April 18, 2014
On April 18, 2014 at about 4:10 pm local time, a 2010 amateur-built ULTIMATE AERO 10-200, registered N827D, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Saint Albans, Vermont (Franklin County State 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 fatigue cracks that initiated from pitch change pin attachment holes that had been drilled too deep during manufacture.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 2014 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Saint Albans, Vermont · Franklin County State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ULTIMATE AERO 10-200, built 2010
- Registration
- N827D · no longer on the register · serial POC200-005
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a local personal flight in his experimental amateur-built aerobatic airplane. The pilot reported that, about 10 minutes after takeoff and while climbing to 3,000 ft mean sea level, there was a sudden loud bang/shudder. The canopy then shattered, the engine experienced a total loss of power, and the airplane entered a spin that the pilot could not arrest. The pilot subsequently decided to egress the airplane via parachute. The airplane subsequently struck terrain and was consumed by a postimpact fire. Examination of the propeller revealed that one of the two propeller blades had separated from the two-bladed, constant-speed propeller's hub. The propeller blade had fractured due to fatigue cracks that initiated from pitch change pin attachment holes that were drilled too deep during manufacture. Subsequent to the accident, the manufacturer recognized that the hole depth varied and instituted quality control measures. At the time of the accident, the propeller had been operated for about 260 hours.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Organizational issues › Development › Design › Equipment design › Manufacturer
- cause Organizational issues › Development › Manufacture/production › Equipment manufacture › Manufacturer
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 10, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 332 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 10, 2014; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 332 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FSO Highgate VT at 4:00 pm
- Destination: FSO Highgate VT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from FSO, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
12 documents, released by the NTSB on September 23, 2016. 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 | NTSB Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Statements and Interview Summaries | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports and Records - Kfso Metars | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | N827D - Conditional Inspection | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Whirl Wind Aviation - Propeller Pre-flight Checklist | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Mandatory Service Letter - SL-200C/400C-0002 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Mandatory Service Letter - SL-200C/400C-070214 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Mandatory Service Letter - SL-200C/400C-013015 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Photo Array | PDF, 7 pages | 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.