N5863S

On April 29, 1997, at 1130 eastern daylight time, a Beech 33, N5863S, collided with the ground while attempting an emergency landing at the West Georgia Regional Airport in Carrollton, Georgia. The personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with an instrument flight plan on file. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the pilot and passenger were not injured. The instrument flight departed Atlanta, Georgia, at 1045.

According to the pilot, the instrument departure clearance cleared the flight to a cruise altitude of 6000 feet. The pilot reported that a few minutes into the flight he experienced a reduction in engine power. The pilot declared an emergency and attempted to restore the engine to full operating power. The pilot said he increased the fuel mixture lever to full rich, turned on the fuel system boost pump, but could not restore full engine power. After completing the emergency procedures, the pilot was instructed by the air traffic controller to turn to a 125 degree magnetic heading for the West Georgia Airport in Carrollton. The pilot elected to attempt an emergency landing at the West Georgia Regional Airport; the airport was thirteen miles south east of where he declared the emergency.

The pilot reported that visibility was good as he descended below the last cloud layer, and he established visual contact with West Georgia Airport. The pilot established a final approach for runway 16. As the pilot flared for the touchdown on runway 16, the pilot recalled that the aircraft stall warning horn was blaring. The pilot also stated that the flight controls were barely responsive as the left wing collided with the ground.

The examination of the engine assembly disclosed that the propeller pitch control arm, at the propeller governor, had separated from the propeller governor. A review of aircraft maintenance service data disclosed that a service bulletin had been issued in 1984 to prevent the pitch arm separation from the governor assembly. During a subsequent telephone conversation with the pilot, he stated that he was present when the mechanic accomplished the annual inspection. He recalled that the mechanic did inspect the propeller assembly, and there were no obvious problems noted. According to the pilot/owner, this service bulletin had not been accomplished on the accident airplane. The arm separation occurred approximately four flight hours after that annual inspection. No Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive had been issued to prevent this type of failure.