Curtiss JN4 accident near Williamson, GA
On November 17, 2016, a Curtiss JN4 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Williamson, GA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 17, 2016
- Place
- Williamson, GA
- Aircraft
- Curtiss JN4 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.184°N, 84.385°W
- NTSB ID
- 20161117X33619
Official records · ERA17FA050
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 17, 2016, at 1740 eastern standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Curtiss JN4D, N1662, collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from Peach State Airport (GA2), Williamson, Georgia. The airline transport pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and fire. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Dusk, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which was originating at the time of the accident. According to a witness, the airplane departed runway 31, appeared to enter a normal climb, and the engine sounded "as it always did." As the airplane passed the runway end markers, about 110-120 ft above the ground, he heard a loud backfire followed by two "pops" that were not as loud. The airplane seemed to hesitate for an instant, then there was silence. He observed the airplane in a left turn. After about 90º of turn, he saw a flicker of flame appear from the forward, left side of the fuselage that progressed into a "raging fire," with an audible "whoomp" sound. The fire streamed back over the top and left side of the fuselage and extended about 1/2 the length of the airplane. The fire persisted and the airplane disappeared behind a tree line and crashed. The witness immediately called the authorities. Another witness provided a cell phone photo of the airplane on the takeoff leg, which showed a fire near the forward section of the airplane. The
Probable cause
The in-flight failure of the propeller due to excessive engine vibration loads and the use of an incorrectly-sized propeller, which resulted in a fatigue crack of the leading edge strip. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate repair of the propeller following a previous crack.
More accidents in GA
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Apr 5, 1991
- Cessna 208, Sep 29, 1985
- Beech 400, Dec 11, 1991
- Embraer EMB-120RT, Aug 21, 1995
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Apr 20, 1982
Browse: Georgia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
