Incident
Immediately after takeoff power was applied, the crew of the DC-6 heard a loud noise and aborted the takeoff. A visual inspection performed before the aircraft came to a stop revealed that the No. 4 engine had separated from the wing.
Evacuation and Fire
A fire erupted and spread after evacuation, ultimately destroying the aircraft. All crew and passengers survived the event, but six dogs that were in the cargo hold perished.
Probable Cause
Investigation determined the probable cause to be fatigue failure of the No. 1 blade of the No. 4 propeller. Laboratory findings indicated that the failure resulted from previous blade bending, which disrupted the compressive stresses in the shot-peened area of the propeller blade.