ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 356451
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| Date: | Wednesday 27 November 1996 |
| Time: | 17:00 LT |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 35 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4523V |
| MSN: | D-1346 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1948 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6306 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental E-225 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lafayette, GA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | (9W5) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Flutter of the empennage occurred during cruise flight. The pilot immediately reduced engine power, and the flutter subsided. Duration of the flutter was about three seconds. An examination of the empennage disclosed that the bulkhead at fuselage station (FS) 256.9 exhibited cracks at the four corners of the assembly. Also, buckling of the fuselage skin was noted adjacent to the damaged bulkhead. The ruddervators were removed from the airframe and balance checked in accordance with the Bonanza 35 Series Shop Manual. The left and right ruddervators exhibited static underbalance moments (trailing edge heavy) of 23.73 and 22.95 inch-pounds, respectively. According to the service manual, the required static underbalance range is 16.80 to 19.80 inch pounds. Both ruddervators had been reskinned (or replaced) and repainted. An unbroken paint seal around the screws (that attached the counterweights to the ruddervators) indicated that the counterweights had not been removed subsequent to repainting.
Probable Cause: failure of maintenance personnel to balance the ruddervator assemblies after they had been reskinned and painted, which resulted in flutter and subsequent damage to the empennage.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ATL97LA027
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Mar-2024 07:22 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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