ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 8803
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| Date: | Friday 14 March 1980 |
| Time: | 16:45 |
| Type: |  Cessna 421B |
| Owner/operator: | private |
| Registration: | N59RZ |
| MSN: | 421B0249 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | West of Tucson, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | KTUS |
| KRYN | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
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.
Accident investigation:
|
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
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