Accident Miller Air Sports GEM 260 N177M,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 42927
 
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Date:Saturday 1 September 1984
Time:11:15
Type:Miller Air Sports GEM 260
Owner/operator:private
Registration: N177M
MSN: M-103
Total airframe hrs:51 hours
Engine model:CONTINENTAL O-200-B
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Martindale, TX -   United States of America
Phase: Unknown
Nature:Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
NOTES LEFT BY PLT INDICATE HE HAD BEEN TESTING THE FLIGHT ENVELOPE OF THIS EXPERIMENTAL RACING ACFT, INCLUDING OPERATION OF THE ENGINE BEYOND PROP LIMIT OF 4000 RPM. WITNESSES HEARD ENGINE SOUND SUDDENLY SPEED UP TO HIGH RPM THEN CEASE ALTOGETHER. SOME WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING AN EXPLOSIVE SOUND. ACFT WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER 1-1/2 MILES. HORIZONTAL AIRFRAME SURFACES WERE DISINTEGRATED; LARGEST PIECE WEIGHED LESS THAN 10 LBS. 3 PROP BLADES (WOOD CORE) HAD SEPARATED 8' OUTBOARD OF HUB; FOURTH BLADE SEPARATED INSIDE SPINNER. ONLY ONE BLADE WAS RECOVERED. EXAMINATION OF AIRFRAME FRACTURES REVEALED SEPARATIONS OCCURRED ALONG MULTIPLE AXES; SIGNATURES IN CONVENTIONAL MATERIALS SHOWED CHARACTERISTICS OF GROSS OVERLOAD. COMPOSITE MATERIAL SEPARATIONS PARALLELED WARP OF 'CLOTH' EXCEPT IN AREAS OF HIGH PEEL STRESS. ALL COMPOSITE STRUCTURES EXHIBITED UNIFORM SATURATION OF RESIN; NO AIR BUBBLES FOUND IN LAYUP. CAUSE:

Sources:

NTSB: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001214X41056

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2008 10:30 ASN archive Added
21-Dec-2016 19:24 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]

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