Piper PA-23-150 accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, July 2, 1996
On July 2, 1996 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-150, registered N3061P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee (Knoxville Downtown Island airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
Fatigue failure of the blade No. 1 hub arm of the left propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1996 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · Knoxville Downtown Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-150 · all PA-23-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3061P · no longer on the register · serial 23-977
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff, about 50-75 feet above the runway, one of the two propeller blades from the left propeller separated. The FAA designee took the controls and landed the airplane with the landing gear extended on grass adjacent to the runway. The airplane traveled off the runway and came to rest upright with the nose landing gear collapsed. Examination of the left propeller revealed that the blade No. 1 hub arm failed due to fatigue. Review of the propeller maintenance records revealed that the propeller was last overhauled on October 18, 1985, and had accumulated a total time of 2,979.7 hours since manufacturer and 963.2 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 724 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 432 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,980 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1996; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DKX at 5:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,497 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from DKX, 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.