Beech 1900D incident near Syracuse, New York, May 4, 1998
On May 4, 1998 at about 1:25 pm local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N832CA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Syracuse, New York (Syracuse Hancock Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 14 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Improper maintenance which resulted in a cross threaded\ mistapped counterweight bolt hole, and the subsequent failure of the propeller counterweight clamp assembly. Also causal was the inadequate inspection of the counterweight clamp threads by maintenance personnel which failed to detect the damaged counterweight threads.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1998 · about 1:25 pm local time
- Place
- Syracuse, New York · Syracuse Hancock Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 14 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N832CA · registry record · serial UE-22
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, the pilot heard a 'loud bang' followed by severe vibration. The pilot returned and landed at the departure airport without further incident. Examination revealed the left engine's number two propeller counterweight had separated, and exited through the propeller spinner. The counterweight then impacted the number one propeller blade, of the left engine, which separated about 12 inches from the hub. Examination of the counterweight clamp leading edge bolt hole revealed that the internal threads in the hole were stripped by motion of the leading edge bolt out of the hole. Additionally, the hole contained a double set of thread roots, indicative of cross threading of a bolt or mistapping of the threads. The propeller counterweight bolts had been replaced during an overhaul performed by the propeller manufacturer on April 12, 1995. The propeller counterweight bolts were also replaced by a certified propeller repair station, during maintenance on April 8, 1996, and at the last overhaul, which was performed on January 28, 1997. According to the propeller overhaul manual, after removal of a counterweight clamp bolt, an undersized tap should be used to remove the loctite retaining compound which was to be applied to the counterweight clamp threads during installation. The manual also stated '...Visually inspect threads for damage. Cross threading, damaged or missing threads is cause for retirement of the clamp.' A representative from the propeller repair station stated that their mechanics use a compressed air plastic bead spray to clean the clamp threads and they do not use an undersized tap. According to the propeller manufacturer, the use of a compressed air plastic bead spray to clean the propeller counterweight clamp threads was not an approved procedure.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,243 hours in all; 7,423 in this make and model; 194 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 7,706 as pilot in command; 1,179 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,869 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 23, 1998; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,950 lb
- Seats: 18
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SYR at 1:10 pm
- Destination: BOS Boston MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10, 9,003 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from SYR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 12 |
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.