SEVEN SPRINGS, PA, USA
N8978Z
Cessna 310G
While at 5,000 feet in VMC, the right engine spinner look unusual to the pilot. He reduced the throttle, but could not identify the problem, so he secured the engine. A tear in the spinner was identified. The pilot restarted the engine, but then shut it down because of a vibration. The pilot advised ATC that he had secured the engine, and needed to divert. While on short final, the pilot realized he would not make his intended touchdown point, because the airplane was too high. With the airplane 'sinking excessively,' the pilot decided to go around. He advanced the throttle on the left engine, the airplane rolled right, and then impacted trees. The right spinner had a 1/2-inch crack that started at its base and ran perpendicular to the rotation of the propeller. The crack then transitioned to a tear. The fracture surface for the crack was grayish in color, and consistent with fatigue. The POH stated that the pilot was to check the propeller and spinner for 'nicks, security and oil leaks,' prior to flight. The recommended safe single-engine speed for the airplane was 92 knots.
On September 1, 2000, about 1450 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 310G, N8978Z, was substantially damaged when it struck trees during a single engine go-around at Seven Springs Airport, Seven Springs Borough, Pennsylvania (7SP). The certificated commercial pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed Charleston, West, destined for Glens Falls, New York. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, he departed Atlanta, Georgia, and flew to Charleston, West Virginia, for fuel. He departed Charleston, and climbed to a cruise altitude of 5,000 feet msl. It was a "clear day," and the flight was uneventful until the passenger told the pilot the right engine spinner looked unusual. To get a better look at the spinner, the pilot reduced the throttle on the right engine, but still could not identify the problem. The pilot then advised air traffic control that he was going to shut down the right engine to examine the spinner. After securing the engine, the pilot could see a tear in the spinner. The pilot restarted the engine, but then shut it down because of a vibration. The pilot advised the controller that he secured the engine, and needed to divert. The controller initially gave the pilot radar vectors to the Sumerset County Airport, Sumerset, Pennsylvania, but then advised him it was closed. The controller then provided vectors to Seven Springs. The pilot executed a straight in visual approach to Runway 28. While on short final, the pilot realized he would not make his intended touchdown point, because the airplane was too high. With the airplane "sinking excessively," the pilot decided to go around. He advanced the throttle on the left engine; the airplane rolled right; and the right wing contacted several trees. The pilot could not remember the details of the flight after the right wing made contact. The airplane came to rest nose low, hanging from a tree, with the nose of the airplane approximately 1 foot from the ground. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the spinner on the right engine. According to the inspector, the right spinner had a 1/2-inch crack that started at its base and ran perpendicular to the rotation of the propeller. The crack then transitioned to a tear that ran parallel to the direction of rotation, and proceeded 1/3 the way around the spinner. The fracture surface for the crack was gray, and the fracture surface for the tear was shiny. According to the preflight inspection section of the pilot's operating handbook (POH), the pilot was to check the propeller and spinner for "nicks, security and oil leaks." In addition, the POH stated that the minimum single-engine control speed was 81 knots, and the recommended safe single-engine speed was 92 knots. The POH also stated, "although the aircraft is controllable at the minimum control speed, the aircraft's performance is so far below optimum that continued flight near the ground is improbable. The procedure for executing a single engine go-around published in the POH was (1) "If absolutely necessary and speed is above 92 KIAS, increase engine speed to 2,700 RPM and apply full throttle." (2) "Landing Gear - UP". (3) "Wing Flaps - UP (if extended)." (4) "Cowl Flaps - Open." (5) "Climb at 107 KIAS (95 KIAS with obstacles directly ahead)." (6) "Trim aircraft for single-engine climb." According to the ASA Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, minimum controllable airspeed (VMC) is "the lowest airspeed at which an airplane is controllable with one engine developing takeoff power and the propeller on the other engine windmilling. VMC is marked on an airspeed indicator with a red radial line."
The pilot's failure to maintain the manufacture's recommended safe single-engine airspeed, which resulted in a velocity-minimum-control roll to the right. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain a proper glide path to his intended touchdown point, which resulted in a single engine go-around attempt.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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