Narrative:

On nov tue 1996, I did a charter flight from myf to emt, then back to myf. Before the first flight, I did a normal preflight at night. On this preflight, I most likely missed feeling all the propellers for nicks or dents. But I can't be sure! After returning to myf, I was asked to fly to psp to pick up a passenger. I put fuel in the aircraft, checked the fuel, oil and door, but not the propellers. I flew to psp and waited for my passenger. He never showed, so I returned to myf. The next day, it went out on another flight with another pilot. On his preflight, he didn't see any damage to the propellers. At his des, someone told him that one of the propeller blades on the right engine was bent outward. He called me and asked if I had hit anything the night before on my flight and I said no! He called the FAA as they had used the airplane nov tue 1996 also. They said they didn't see a bent propeller. He called his maintenance personnel and propeller men. They said to bring the aircraft home. Now we have a bent propeller that no one knows how it was bent. I noticed no unusual flight or engine characteristic on my flight. The pilot on the next day also didn't notice anything unusual. So I might not have done a thorough preflight on the aircraft on the second and third leg of my flight because everything looked and felt normal. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was flying a C340. The FAA has taken no action against him, but the last pilot that flew the aircraft was cited for flying an unairworthy aircraft without a ferry permit. This pilot asked his mechanic and the propeller manufacturer if it was safe to fly the aircraft. They both responded in the affirmative, but no one advised getting a ferry permit. The reporter advised the other pilot to send in an ASRS report, and he now regrets that he did not. The mystery continues, no one knows how the propeller blade got bent.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C340 ATX PLT FLEW HIS ACFT WITH A BENT PROP BLADE, NO ONE KNOWS HOW OR WHEN THE BLADE GOT BENT.

Narrative: ON NOV TUE 1996, I DID A CHARTER FLT FROM MYF TO EMT, THEN BACK TO MYF. BEFORE THE FIRST FLT, I DID A NORMAL PREFLT AT NIGHT. ON THIS PREFLT, I MOST LIKELY MISSED FEELING ALL THE PROPS FOR NICKS OR DENTS. BUT I CAN'T BE SURE! AFTER RETURNING TO MYF, I WAS ASKED TO FLY TO PSP TO PICK UP A PAX. I PUT FUEL IN THE ACFT, CHKED THE FUEL, OIL AND DOOR, BUT NOT THE PROPS. I FLEW TO PSP AND WAITED FOR MY PAX. HE NEVER SHOWED, SO I RETURNED TO MYF. THE NEXT DAY, IT WENT OUT ON ANOTHER FLT WITH ANOTHER PLT. ON HIS PREFLT, HE DIDN'T SEE ANY DAMAGE TO THE PROPS. AT HIS DES, SOMEONE TOLD HIM THAT ONE OF THE PROP BLADES ON THE R ENG WAS BENT OUTWARD. HE CALLED ME AND ASKED IF I HAD HIT ANYTHING THE NIGHT BEFORE ON MY FLT AND I SAID NO! HE CALLED THE FAA AS THEY HAD USED THE AIRPLANE NOV TUE 1996 ALSO. THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T SEE A BENT PROP. HE CALLED HIS MAINT PERSONNEL AND PROP MEN. THEY SAID TO BRING THE ACFT HOME. NOW WE HAVE A BENT PROP THAT NO ONE KNOWS HOW IT WAS BENT. I NOTICED NO UNUSUAL FLT OR ENG CHARACTERISTIC ON MY FLT. THE PLT ON THE NEXT DAY ALSO DIDN'T NOTICE ANYTHING UNUSUAL. SO I MIGHT NOT HAVE DONE A THOROUGH PREFLT ON THE ACFT ON THE SECOND AND THIRD LEG OF MY FLT BECAUSE EVERYTHING LOOKED AND FELT NORMAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS FLYING A C340. THE FAA HAS TAKEN NO ACTION AGAINST HIM, BUT THE LAST PLT THAT FLEW THE ACFT WAS CITED FOR FLYING AN UNAIRWORTHY ACFT WITHOUT A FERRY PERMIT. THIS PLT ASKED HIS MECH AND THE PROP MANUFACTURER IF IT WAS SAFE TO FLY THE ACFT. THEY BOTH RESPONDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, BUT NO ONE ADVISED GETTING A FERRY PERMIT. THE RPTR ADVISED THE OTHER PLT TO SEND IN AN ASRS RPT, AND HE NOW REGRETS THAT HE DID NOT. THE MYSTERY CONTINUES, NO ONE KNOWS HOW THE PROP BLADE GOT BENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.