History of Flight
On 1 June 2007, at approximately 1500Z, a Jabiru SP aircraft, registered ZU-CIP, departed from Klerksdorp Aerodrome (FAKD) on a private flight to Rustenburg Aerodrome. The pilot and one passenger were on board. After reaching about 300 feet, the pilot felt a vibration from the front of the aircraft. He decided to turn back toward the runway, and as he turned, the vibration increased. Following the turn, the propeller separated from the engine. The pilot closed the throttle to prevent engine over-revving, lowered the nose to maintain airspeed, and landed on the grass area adjacent to the runway at an indicated airspeed of 65 knots. The landing was hard; the aircraft skidded approximately 10 meters before coming to a stop in a wings-level attitude.
Injuries and Damage
Neither the pilot nor the passenger sustained any injuries. The aircraft, however, suffered substantial damage: the landing gear broke off (all gear found within a 10-meter radius), the bottom surface of the fuselage was damaged, and the right-hand passenger window was broken. The propeller was never found.
Aircraft and Maintenance Information
The aircraft was a Jabiru SP (serial number 422), manufactured on 1 December 2000, with a total airframe time of 268 hours at the time of the accident. The engine was a Jabiru 2200 (serial number 785) with 268 hours since new; the propeller was a Jabiru wooden model (serial number JJ41605LC) with the same hours. The last annual inspection was performed on 16 May 2007 at 265 hours by an approved person. The pilot, who also performed minor maintenance, stated he was a qualified diesel mechanic. He indicated that he had checked and tightened the propeller fasteners approximately 50 hours before the annual inspection, and that he was unaware of a manufacturer's service bulletin (SB JSB 009-1) requiring inspections of propeller bolt tensions after the initial 25 hours and every 50 hours thereafter. The aircraft's logbook could not be located; only copies of annual inspections were available.
Meteorological Conditions
Wind was from 360° at 15–20 knots, temperature 22°C, visibility good, and no cloud cover. Conditions were CAVOK.
Probable Cause
The aircraft landed hard next to the runway after the propeller separated from the aircraft during take-off. The separation was a result of the loosening of the propeller fastening bolts. This loosening was due to climatic changes, and the lack of knowledge by the pilot about the service bulletin that demanded periodic inspections of these fasteners.