Amateur-built RV-6A N241BD accident near Hollywood, Florida

Probable cause

Particulate ingestion from the engine, which resulted in the malfunction of the propeller governor during the airplane’s initial climb.

NTSB analysis

During the airplane’s initial climb after takeoff, when it was an estimated 30 to 50 feet off the ground, the propeller rpm suddenly decreased. The pilot aborted the takeoff, and was able to land the airplane about 500 feet before the end of the 3,350-foot runway. However, the airplane then overran the runway end and impacted a perimeter fence. Initial examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies, but a subsequent propeller governor disassembly at a propeller shop revealed difficulty in moving an internal part, as well as internal scoring internal scoring. Further examination of the cleaned parts confirmed the internal scoring as well as internal chipping, the latter which was likely produced by trapped particles. Chipping was found on the land (surface) of the pilot valve, and rounding on the edge of the port it normally interacted with, which would produce erratic operation of the governor, and therefore affect propeller speed. Because the parts had previously been cleaned, there were no particulates available for composition analysis. However, because there was also no evidence of missing material from the governor itself, it was likely that the damage to the governor was the result of particulate ingestion via oil flow from the engine.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA11LA483 for the full record.