Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN14LA305
BOLLINGER ROBERT L BD 4 — Fairfield, IA
| Date | June 22, 2014 |
| Location | Fairfield, IA |
| Aircraft | BOLLINGER ROBERT L BD 4 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 64 |
| Pilot total time | 480 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 400 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft propeller/rotor-Propeller system-Propeller blade section-Failure - C
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
What happened
A witness reported seeing the airplane take off, make a 90-degree left turn, descend, and subsequently collide with terrain about 600 ft east of the runway. A postimpact fire ensued. During the examination of the accident site, all of the airplane's structure was found except for the propeller blades. The day after the accident, the airport manager found two of the three propeller blades while he was mowing grass. Photographs of the two propeller blades showed damage consistent with the in-flight separation of the blades. Neither blade exhibited impact or thermal damage. The breaks at the hub were not bent but pulled straight out. The reason for the in-flight separation of the propeller blades could not be determined.