Amateur-built THORPE T-18C accident near Imperial, Texas, October 4, 2000
On October 4, 2000 at about 7:00 pm local time, a amateur-built THORPE T-18C, registered N85LH, was destroyed in an accident near Imperial, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the propeller blade due to fatigue, which originated from a corrosion crack. A contributory factor was the pilot/owner's failure to ensure that the propeller was overhauled at the manufacturer's recommended interval.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2000 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Imperial, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built THORPE T-18C THORPE T-1
- Registration
- N85LH · registry record · serial 216
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to witnesses, the amateur-built experimental airplane was in cruise flight between 1,500 and 2,500 feet agl, when they heard a loud noise and observed pieces of the airplane separate from the airframe. Subsequently, the airplane entered a descent and impacted the ground. A fire erupted and consumed the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed that a propeller blade separated 14.5 inches from the butt end. The blade failed due to fatigue initiating from an intergranular corrosion crack. According to the manufacturer's recommended interval between overhauls, the blade was four years overdue for an overhaul. An overhaul could have detected the corrosion crack that led to the failure. Additionally, each blade had been shortened approximately 6 inches since it was originally manufactured, and the propeller was not approved by the manufacturer for installation on the type of engine in the airplane.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,400 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 4,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 743 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2000; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,254 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B1E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: E01 Monahans TX at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from FST, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.