Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 incident near Memphis, Tennessee, August 20, 2002
On August 20, 2002 at about 11:40 am local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-60, registered N610CA, was involved in an incident near Memphis, Tennessee. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 loss of right engine power as a result of a fatigue failure of the propeller shaft coupling.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2002 · about 11:40 am local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 · all MU-2B-60s on the register
- Registration
- N610CA · registry record · serial 7455A
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the airplane sustained a contained in-flight right engine failure due to a fatigue failure of the propeller shaft coupling. At a cruise altitude of 9,000 feet approximately 60 miles east of his destination, the pilot heard a "bang." The engine RPM and engine temperature gauges indicated a failure of the right engine. The pilot secured the right engine, declared an emergency to air traffic control, and landed uneventfully. Examination of the propeller shaft coupling revealed a fracture that was caused by a fatigue crack that emanated from the corner radius of a lubrication slot where the corner radius converges with the root of an inner spline. At the time of the engine failure, the engine had accumulated 6,010.2 total hours since overhaul.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 12,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: July 11, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 11,575 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett 331-10-511M (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 10:40 am
- Destination: MEM Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.