Beech 1900D incident near Jacksonville, Florida, March 28, 1996
On March 28, 1996 at about 11:16 am local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N29YV, suffered minor damage in an incident near Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of a blade counterweight clamp retaining screw due to cadmium embrittlement which occurred during the manufacture process. This resulted in the counterweight clamp separating and striking the adjacent blade causing it to separate.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 1996 · about 11:16 am local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Florida · Jacksonville Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N29YV · no longer on the register · serial UE-29
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff a counterweight and clamp separated from one propeller blade on the right propeller. The separated counterweight and clamp struck the adjacent blade and caused the blade to separate about 12 inches from the hub. The resultant imbalance caused severe vibration from the right engine. The propeller governor struck the engine cowling and broke into pieces. The flight crew shutdown the engine using the condition lever. The propeller did not feather when commanded by the flight crew, and it continued to windmill causing vibration and drag until landing. Metallurgical examination indicated a blade counterweight clamp screw failed causing the clamp to separate. The screw fracture surface initiated at the screw threads and had features typical of intergranular cracking. Cadmium, which is used as a plating on the screw after manufacturer, was present on the fracture surface.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,650 hours in all; 3,936 in this make and model; 289 in the last 90 days; 104 in the last 30 days; 5,131 as pilot in command; 2,078 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,033 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 5, 1996; 166 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,950 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JAX at 11:16 am
- Destination: MCO Orlando FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:58 am from JAX, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.