Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Wilmington, Ohio 45177
Monday, January 9, 1989 9:01 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THIS SX-300 (SA-29) WAS A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT ACFT BEING DEMONSTRATED FOR THE USAF AT WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB. THE ACFT WAS CLEARED TO RESTRICTED AREA R5503 AT 8000 FT FOR A DEMONSTRATION. RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH INDIANAPOLIS ARTCC WERE ROUTINE; THERE WERE NO DISTRESS TRANSMISSIONS. ABOUT 7 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF THE ACFT WAS INVOLVED IN AN INFLIGHT BREAKUP. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS ABOUT 1 MILE IN LENGTH WITH THE RT WING 3000 FEET FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE RT WING LOWER ATTACHMENT FITTING EXHIBITED A FATIGUE AREA WHICH PROGRESSED TO FAILURE FROM A WELD NUGGET NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF TWO WELD BEADS. PRE-EXISTING CRACKS WERE ALSO PRESENT IN THE LUG WELD AREA OF THE LEFT WING UPPER AND LOWER ATTACH- MENT FITTINGS. THE ACFT HAD BEEN IN SVC 571 HRS. IT WAS CERTIFIED AS AN EXPERIMENTAL CATEGORY EXHIBITION ACFT. THE DESIGNER HAD STATIC LOAD TESTED THE WINGS TO 6 G'S & SUSPECTED THE ACFT HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO FLT LOADS APCHG 6 G'S. THE PLT TOLD AN ACQUAINTANCE THAT HE HAD ROUTINELY EXCEEDED THE 'RED LINE' BY 85 MPH.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FATIGUE AND RESULTING FAILURE OF THE RIGHT WING'S LOWER ATTACHMENT FITTING AND INADEQUATE QUALITY CONTROL BY THE SWEARINGEN SX-300 PRODUCTION/DESIGN PERSONNEL.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 1/9/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 901 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | WILMINGTON |
| Event State | OHIO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 45177 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 855 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 337 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | FFO |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 824 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 18 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 12000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 3500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -4 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -9 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 220 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 10 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 133 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jan 9 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1045 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 38326 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:24PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6Y |
| NTSB Number | ATL89MA070 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | SWEARINGEN |
| Aircraft Model | SX-300 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | SX-300 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 001 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2400 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 24 1988 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 87 |
| Airframe Hours | 571 |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | JAFFTECH INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 8507 BROADWAY |
| Aircraft Owner City | SAN ANTONIO |
| Aircraft Owner State | TX |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 78217 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | FFO |
| Departure City | DAYTON |
| Departure State | OH |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 856 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |