Dehavilland DH82A accident near Sevierville, Tennessee, August 30, 2008
On August 30, 2008 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Dehavilland DH82A, registered N80660, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Sevierville, Tennessee (Seymour Air Park 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 failure of the wooden propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2008 · about 8:20 pm local time · cases in 2008
- Place
- Sevierville, Tennessee · Seymour Air Park · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DH82A · all DH82As on the register
- Registration
- N80660 · registry record · serial 82473
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During takeoff, at about 100 feet in the air, near the end of the runway, the pilot heard a loud bang and immediately felt an increasing vibration. He reduced engine power and maneuvered to return to the runway. As he lined up for the runway, the engine was producing power but he felt no thrust. The airplane lost altitude and the pilot landed in a rough pasture short of the runway. The landing gear separated and the left wing buckled before coming to a stop. Post-accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the brass tip separated from the wooden propeller and the blades separated to the hub section. The missing pieces of propeller were not located.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Failure
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 30, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 25, 2008; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,726 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Dehav Eng GIPSY MAJOR (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TN20 Sevierville TN
- Destination: TN98 Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KTYS, 11 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 NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N80660 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Dehavilland DH82 13 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Dehavilland 861 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Dehav Eng GIPSY MAJOR · as the NTSB recorded it
- Seymour Air Park Airport · nearest airport
- Sky Ranch Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Tennessee 1,198 since 1982 · 231 in the last ten years
- Tennessee 6,533 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA08CA178.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.