Primary finding
Probable cause
A propeller control unit failure, and loss of the pilot's option to feather the propeller. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
While on a VFR cross country flight, the left propeller control ring failed and the left propeller could not be feathered. The pilot shut down the engine due to vibration, declared an emergency, and was vectored to the nearest airport. Unable to make it to the runway, the pilot made a forced landing short of the runway on unsuitable terrain and the right main landing gear collapsed during landing roll.
Source record
Factual narrative
On September 30, 1993, at 0830 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 310Q, N777HB, impacted the ground short of the runway during a forced landing at Sandia Airpark, Edgewood, New Mexico. The pilot and his two passengers were not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was on file. The flight departed Clovis, New Mexico, at 0700 with a filed destination of Saint George, Utah. Examination of the aircraft by FAA personnel provided evidence that the left engine propeller control ring and counter weights came off causing a loss of control of the propeller and eliminating the ability of the pilot to feather the propeller. According to the pilot, he secured that engine due to vibration and was unable to maintain flight on the remaining engine due to excessive drag from the propeller. He said he attempted a forced landing at Animas Airpark, being vectored to that facility by Albuquerque Center. Unable to extend the flight, he landed approximately 150 feet short of the runway on rough terrain and the right main landing gear collapsed during landing roll. -