ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 35828
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| Date: | Thursday 27 April 1995 |
| Time: | 12:10 LT |
| Type: | Wittman O |
| Owner/operator: | Sylvester J. Wittman |
| Registration: | N41SW |
| MSN: | 13 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 208 hours |
| Engine model: | CONTINENTAL O-470J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Stevenson, AL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Ocala, FL (FDO4) |
| Oshkosh, WI (KOSH) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
REPORTS FROM GROUND WITNESSES, NONE OF WHOM ACTUALLY SAW THE AIRPLANE, VARIED FROM HEARING A HIGH REVVING ENGINE TO AN EXPLOSION. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP. DAMAGE AND STRUCTURAL DEFORMATION WAS INDICATIVE OF AILERON-WING FLUTTER. WING FABRIC DOPE WAS DISTRESSED OR MISSING ON THE AFT INBOARD PORTION OF THE LEFT WING UPPER SURFACE AND ALONG THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE TOP OF THE MAIN SPAR. LARGE AREAS OF DOPE WERE ALSO MISSING FROM THE LEFT WING UNDERSURFACE. THE ENTIRE FABRIC COVERING ON THE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES OF THE RIGHT WING HAD DELAMINATED FROM THE WING PLYWOOD SKIN. THE DOPED FINISH WAS SEVERELY DISTRESSED AND MOTTLED. THE FABRIC COVERING HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POLY-FIBER COVERING AND PAINT MANUAL; THE PLYWOOD WAS NOT TREATED WITH THE POLY-BRUSH COMPOUND.
Probable Cause: AILERON-WING FLUTTER INDUCED BY SEPARATION AT THE TRAILING EDGE OF AN UNBONDED PORTION OF WING FABRIC AT AN AILERON WING STATION. THE DEBONDING OF THE WING FABRIC WAS A RESULT OF IMPROPER INSTALLATION.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ATL95FA092
Location
Images:
This aircraft crashed en-route to Oshkosh on April 27, 1995, taking the lives of Steve and Paula Whittman. A plaque, the propeller, and a fragment of the tail fabric are on display at the EAA AirVenture Museum as a memorial to Steve and his contributions to experimental aviation.
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 16-Jun-2016 06:24 | Anon. | Updated [Photo, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:22 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 09-Apr-2024 15:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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