KANSAS CITY, MO, USA
N252AM
SWEARINGEN SA226TC
DURING A CLIMB TO CRUISE, THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY & REQUESTED TO DSCND & RETURN TO THE ARPT. THE LANDING WAS UNEVENTFUL. AN EXAM OF THE LEFT PROP REVEALED THAT 1 OF ITS 3 BLADES HAD FAILED AT THE BUTT END & HAD SEPARATED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT ENG ATTACH MOUNTS HAD FAILED & THE ENG HAD BECOME COCKED OUTBOARD FROM ITS ORIGINAL POSITION. A METALLURGICAL EXAM OF THE BLADE REVEALED FATIGUE CRACKING, EMINATING FM WITHIN THE PILOT HOLE OF THE BLADE BUTT. NUMEROUS SCRATCHES WERE VISIBLE IN THE PILOT HOLE AND THE CRACK HAD ITS INITIATION AT ONE OF THE SCRATCH MARKS NR THE BEARING WASHER. THE WASHER IS USED TO PULL THE BEARING OUT OF THE PILOT HOLE FOR MAINTENANCE AND/OR INSPECTION.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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