Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Bryans Corner, Oklahoma/Injuries: 1 Minor
The airplane was operating as a night, scheduled cargo flight. The pilot reported that, during departure climb, the engine made a loud bang and that the propeller then spooled down toward feather and stopped. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. During the forced landing approach to a two-lane highway, the airplane struck a power line. The airplane then landed hard and subsequently exited the highway on the left side, and the left wing struck a power pole. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that one of the compressor turbine blades had fractured near the root due to fatigue cracking. The fractured compressor turbine blade released into the engine path and subsequently impacted adjacent compressor turbine blades and downstream components, which caused the loss of engine power. The source of the fatigue crack could not be determined due to secondary damage sustained to the fracture surface. All other mechanical damage to the engine was consistent with collateral damage sustained subsequent to the release of the compressor turbine blade.
Probable Cause(s): The total loss of engine power as a result of a fractured compressor turbine blade due to fatigue cracking.
Note: The report republished here is from the NTSB and is printed verbatim and in its complete form.
