ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 68252
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Wednesday 16 September 2009 |
| Time: | 16:42 |
| Type: |  Quad City Challenger II |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N732LS |
| MSN: | CH2 0991-0732 |
| Engine model: | Rotax 503 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mentone, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | French Valley, CA (F70) |
| Redlands, CA (REI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of the experimental light-sport airplane had just completed a 40-minute-flight, and was turning from the downwind to base leg when at 450 feet above ground level, the airplane rapidly descended and collided with terrain below. The damage to the forward section of the fuselage, the position of the main wreckage, and the minimal damage to surrounding trees indicated a near vertical impact attitude. The location of the right wing, along with the aft downward bending damage observed to its main spars and tensile failure of the forward spar attach point, indicated that the wing separated from the airplane in a down and aft motion during flight. The airplane's flight profile was not conducive to a negative overload failure of the right wing. The outboard right wing ribs failed in tensile overload, and the wing fabric material was observed attached only at the aft spar, and in-trail of the wing. These signatures indicated that the material had become separated from the wing structure in flight. The separation most likely created a high drag, ‘parachute’ effect with resultant failure of the wing. The airplane was built about 18 years prior to the accident, and appeared to have been flown as an unregistered airplane prior to purchase by the two pilots. New wing covering had been installed by the pilots the year prior to the accident, and cursory tensile testing of fabric samples revealed that the material had a breaking strength comparable to similar light aircraft fabric. The pilot-rated passenger was an insulin-dependent diabetic, however, it was not possible to determine whether his condition had any relation to the circumstances of the accident.
Probable Cause: Structural failure of the right wing during the landing approach due to the separation of the wing's fabric covering.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Sep-2009 18:35 | slowkid | Added |
| 17-Sep-2009 00:25 | slowkid | Updated |
| 17-Sep-2009 09:16 | Geno | Updated |
| 20-Sep-2009 01:58 | Anon. | Updated |
| 10-Feb-2011 14:40 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 02-Dec-2017 16:18 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation