Piper PA-28-180 accident near Vaughn, Washington, September 26, 1999
On September 26, 1999 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N9395J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vaughn, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The separation of a propeller blade tip due to fatigue, and the improper maintenance procedure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1999 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Vaughn, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9395J · registry record · serial 28-3499
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise at 2,000 feet altitude and 2,000 RPM there was a sudden loud noise and vibration. The pilot reduced power and executed an emergency landing. Post-landing examination of the aircraft revealed that approximately six inches of one propeller blade had separated from the propeller. The Sensenich Corporation, fixed pitch, aluminum propeller, model 76EM8S5-0-60, was submitted to the Safety Board's Materials Laboratory, Washington, DC, for further metallurgical examination. The examination revealed a flat, chordwise fracture area that contained crack arrest positions and radial marks typical of fatigue cracking. Microscopy revealed that the origin area was located within a notch at the leading edge at the flat side of the blade. The depth of the notch was about 0.008 inch. The leading edge of the blade contained sanding marks, typical of a blend repair, in the vicinity of the notch. The sanding marks did not extend into the deepest part of the notch, directly adjacent to the fracture surface at the origin area. FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1A, Section 3 'Repair of Metal propellers,' paragraph 585(a) discusses procedures applied to the repair of aluminum propellers. Specifically, this reference addresses rounding out of nicks, scars, cuts, etc. by advising '...exercise care to remove the deepest point of the injury.' The total time on the propeller was unavailable and the party who executed the propeller dressing procedure was not known.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 926 hours in all; 886 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 868 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,483 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 8, 1998; 102 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWT Bremerton WA at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PWT, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA99LA174.