Beech N35 accident near Holbrook, Arizona, January 9, 1997
On January 9, 1997 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Beech N35, registered N7HB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Holbrook, Arizona (Holbrook Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fatigue failure of the propeller hub, which resulted in separation of the propeller assembly and reduction of aircraft control. Also causal was: the resultant lack of compliance with Airworthiness Directive (AD) 89-26-08, due to ambiguous and unclear wording of the AD as issued by the FAA. Factors relating to the accident were: non-compliance with McCauley Service Bulletin 179A and McCauley Service Letter 1989-5, and an encounter with soft terrain during the aborted takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 1997 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Holbrook, Arizona · Holbrook Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech N35 · all N35s on the register
- Registration
- N7HB · registry record · serial D-6750
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Moments after lift-off, the propeller separated, & the aircraft (acft) veered off the runway, contacted soft soil, & nosed over. Investigation revealed the propeller hub failed forward of the attachment flange, around the circumference of the hub. The pilot said he had performed a thorough preflight & run-up, & found no discrepancies. Metallurgical exam of the hub revealed crack arrest marks, typical of fatigue, emanating from the 4th thread root on the aft piece of the hub. The crack was estimated to be several inches long before failure occurred. Review of records disclosed that McCauley Service Bulletin 179A, McCauley Service Letter 1989-5, & Airworthiness Directive (AD) 89-26-08 had not been complied with during the previous 5 annual inspections. These referenced propellers which should have incorporated an oil-filled configuration with red dye that would become visible once a hub had begun to crack. The AD cited McCauley '2A36C23/84B-0' Constant Speed Propellers. Both McCauley & the FAA engineering directorate, which wrote the AD, reported the intent was to capture all 2A36C23 hubs regardless of blade models. The hub on the accident acft was a McCauley 2A36C23-P-E, with blade Models S-84B-0 installed (rather than blade Models 84B-0). Unanimous response from mechanics & IA's, who worked on the acft during the previous 5 annuals inspections, was that the AD was not applicable since the propeller was not a '2A36C23/84B-0' as stated in the AD.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,577 hours in all; 423 in this make and model; 87 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,525 as pilot in command; 321 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,883 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1996; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,125 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P14 at 9:05 pm
- Destination: FLG Flagstaff AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 3, 6,740 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.