Tipsy Nipper T.66 Series 2, G-ATBW, 3 February 2011

From:
Air Accidents Investigation Branch
Published
10 December 2014
Category:
General aviation - fixed wing
Report type:
Bulletin - Field investigation
Date of occurrence:
3 February 2011
Aircraft type:
Tipsy Nipper T.66 Series 2
Location:
South of Flemings Farm, South Hanningfield, Chelmsford, Essex
Registration:
G-ATBW

Tipsy Nipper T.66 Series 2, G-ATBW

Summary:

Four of the six bolts that secured the wooden propeller to the engine worked loose causing all the bolts to fail and the propeller to detach from the aircraft in flight. The aircraft landed safely in a field. The investigation discovered that two of the bolts had not been wire locked and two others had been wire locked incorrectly. While the torque on the bolts had been checked within the recommended hourly maintenance interval, due to the low usage the aircraft had flown for almost two years without the torque having been checked.

Download report:

Tipsy Nipper T66 Series 2, G-ATBW 08-11.pdf (390.14 kb)

Published 10 December 2014