Pilot Declared An Emergency, Landed Safely
There is sometimes almost a sense of complacency when everything
about an airplane is working properly. But for the pilot of a
Cessna 172 in Jackson, MS in January, that feeling was shattered
when, according to the NTSB, a six-inch piece of the plane's
propeller broke off, causing severe vibration in the aircraft. This
incident fortunately comes to a very welcome conclusion; the pilot
landed safely and walked away unharmed.
NTSB Identification: ERA12IA169
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Incident occurred Saturday, January 28, 2012 in Jackson, MS
Aircraft: CESSNA 172S, registration: N427CP
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when
the final report has been completed.
On January 28, 2012, about 1705, central standard time, a Cessna
172S, N427CP, made an emergency landing at Jackson-Evers
International Airport (JAN), Jackson, Mississippi. The pilot, the
sole occupant on board, was not injured and the airplane was not
damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Civil
Air Patrol, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and the instructional flight was
conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations
Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and
a company flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from
Hawkins Field Airport (HKS), Jackson, Mississippi, about 1645.
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The pilot stated that he was about 8 miles southwest of JAN, at
an altitude of 7,000 feet mean sea level, when without warning, an
extreme vibration developed. The cabin environment experienced
heavy vibration. He reduced engine power and verified the
airplane’s flight controls were still functioning. He
declared an emergency with the air traffic controller that he was
in contact with. He reduced to best glide airspeed and maneuvered
the airplane for JAN. The vibration continued and he elected to
shutdown the engine. The propeller was windmilling and the
vibration continued. The pilot reduced airspeed to stop the
propeller rotation, and immediately obtain best glide airspeed
again once the propeller stopped. The pilot landed at JAN and the
airplane was towed to the fixed base operator.
An inspection of the airplane revealed that a 6 inch section
from one of the fixed pitched propeller blades had fractured and
separated during flight. The propeller was retained by the National
Transportation Safety Board and sent to the NTSB Materials
Laboratory, Washington, D.C., for metallurgical examination.