Accident Grumman G-73T Turbo Mallard N2969,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 322270

Date:	Monday 19 December 2005
Time:	14:39
Type:	Grumman G-73T Turbo Mallard
Owner/operator:	Chalk's Ocean Airways
Registration:	N2969
MSN:	J-27
Year of manufacture:	1947
Total airframe hrs:	31226 hours
Cycles:	39743 flights
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 20 / Occupants: 20
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Miami, FL - United States of America
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Miami SPB, FL (MPB)
Destination airport:	Bimini-North SPB (NSB)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 110 departed Fort Lauderdale (FLL) at 13:05 and landed at the Miami Seaplane Base about 13:21. The Grumman G-73T Turbo Mallard was then prepared for Flight 101 to Bimini, Bahamas. It took off at 14:38. While climbing past Miami the right wing separated from the fuselage. Escaping fuel ignited as the Mallard came down out of control. It crashed into the mouth of Government Cut channel off the southern tip of Miami Beach and came to rest in 35 feet deep water.
Investigation revealed that the right wing separated from the accident airplane at wing station 34 because of pre-existing fatigue fractures and cracks in the rear Z-stringer, lower skin, and rear spar lower spar cap.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the in-flight failure and separation of the right wing during normal flight, which resulted from (1) the failure of the Chalks Ocean Airways maintenance program to identify and properly repair fatigue cracks in the right wing and (2) the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration to detect and correct deficiencies in the companys maintenance program."

Accident investigation: