Accident Overview
During the initial climb after departure from an airfield, the airplane experienced severe vibrations as the propeller disintegrated. The pilot, who was not certified, turned the aircraft in an attempt to return to the departure airfield. Unable to reach the runway, the pilot initiated a forced landing into an adjacent field. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a levee and nosed over, eventually coming to rest inverted.
Pilot Interview Findings
In a subsequent interview with Federal Aviation Administration inspectors, the pilot disclosed that he had recently installed an experimental propeller on the airplane. During a ground test run prior to the flight, the propeller produced an unusual sound, prompting an inspection that revealed a "nick" on the leading edge of one blade. The pilot contacted the propeller manufacturer, who recommended trimming the affected portions of the propeller. The pilot, who was neither a certified repairman nor the aircraft's builder, performed the maintenance on both the airplane and the propeller before the flight.
Maintenance and Certification Issues
The source explicitly states that the pilot was non-certified and that the maintenance was performed by an individual lacking proper credentials for the work. The experimental propeller was not original to the aircraft, and the pilot's actions in trimming the blades followed the manufacturer's recommendation.