ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 8803
Last updated: 9 February 2021
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: | 14-MAR-1980 |
| Time: | 16:45 |
| Type: |  Cessna 421B |
| Owner/operator: | TRULY NOLEN |
| Registration: | N59RZ |
| C/n / msn: | 249 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | West of Tucson, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | KTUS |
| KRYN |
The accident flight was the first flight undertaken after maintenance; on board were the pilot and a mechanic. The aircraft departed KTUS and proceeded to KRYN where it was seen to perform tough-and-go landings. One witness, who had been observing the aircraft, heard the plane's engines go quiet. When he looked up, the aircraft was flipping end over end in an uncontrolled descent. The aircraft struck the ground within the premises of a horse ranch and exploded. An intense-post crash fire ensued.
The pilot was well-known within the Arizona aviation community; he became the youngest FAA Designated Pilot Examiner in the state at age 21. Two months before the crash, he had ferried a B-29 Superfortress from the US to England for donation to a museum.
Examination of the aircraft wreckage revealed the elevator balance weights had not been installed during prior maintenance. This condition resulted in flutter that caused the overload separation of the control rod from the elevator and deformation of the elevator and stabilizer.
Sources:
https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=32632&key=0
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/163642026/
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=N59RZ
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Feb-2008 12:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 18-Apr-2019 18:24 | PiperOnslaught | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Feb-2021 15:57 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description