ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 297483
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| Date: | Sunday 24 March 2002 |
| Time: | 19:30 LT |
| Type: |  Beechcraft F35 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4257B |
| MSN: | D-4234 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1955 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5515 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental E-225 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Amarillo, Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Clovis Municipal Airport, NM (CVN/KCVN) |
| Borger Airport, TX (BGD/KBGD) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that while in level cruise flight at 140 knots indicated airspeed, at an altitude of 5,500 feet mean sea level (msl), the airplane encountered "clear air turbulence." The pilot stated that at the time of the accident, the airplane autopilot system was engaged, and his hands were not on the cockpit controls. During the accident, the airplane "was suddenly thrust nose high and vertical." The pilot then "pushed the nose [of the airplane] over," and recovered control of the airplane from the unusual attitude. The pilot continued the flight to his intended destination and landed without incident. Examination of the airplane revealed that the aft fuselage exhibited extensive skin wrinkling and tearing between the fuselage station (FS) 233.5 and FS 256.9 bulkheads. The left fuselage side exhibited a compression wrinkle extending from the bottom of the FS 256.9 bulkhead diagonally up and forward toward the top of the FS 233.5 bulkhead. The right fuselage side exhibited a compression wrinkle extending from the top of the FS 256.9 bulkhead diagonally down and forward toward the bottom of the FS 233.5 bulkhead. The bottom skin exhibited a compression wrinkle that extended from the middle of the FS 256.9 bulkhead forward and outward toward FS 233.5 bulkhead. The right ruddervator was 20.98 inch-pounds static underbalanced. According to the manufacturer, the static underbalance weight range is 16.8 to 19.8 inch pounds.
Probable Cause: Flutter due to the improper balance of the ruddervator, which resulted in structural damage to the aft fuselage.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW02LA129
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Oct-2022 19:08 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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