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| Date: | Monday 9 January 1989 |
| Time: | 09:01 |
| Type: | Swearingen SX-300 |
| Owner/operator: | Jafftech Industries |
| Registration: | N6Y |
| MSN: | 001 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 571 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-L1C5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Wilmington, OH -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Dayton, OH (FFO) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
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. CAUSE: FATIGUE AND RESULTING FAILURE OF THE RIGHT WING'S LOWER ATTACHMENT FITTING AND INADEQUATE QUALITY CONTROL BY THE SWEARINGEN SX-300 PRODUCTION/DESIGN PERSONNEL.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X27542
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
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