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| Date: | Sunday 23 June 1991 |
| Time: | 15:48 LT |
| Type: |  Monnett Sonerai |
| Owner/operator: | R.w. Leonard |
| Registration: | N4227N |
| MSN: | 210 |
| Engine model: | VOLKSWAGEN CONVERSION |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Davenport, IA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | (KDVN) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE PLT WAS PARTICIPATING IN A PYLON AIR RACE FOR FORMULA V RACERS. ABT HALF WAY THRU THE RACE, AS HE WAS MNVRG PAST THE #2 PYLON, THE LEFT WING BGN TO SEPARATE. THE WING THEN FOLDED OVR THE TOP OF THE ACFT. THE WING & PIECES OF THE CANOPY FELL TO THE GND. AS THE WING SEPD, THE ACFT BGN A VIOLENT ROLL & FLWD A TRAJECTORY PATH TO THE GND. INV REVEALED THE INNER PORTION OF EACH WING WAS DESIGNED WITH BOX SPAR CONSTRUCTION, SECURED TO A FUSELAGE CARRY-THRU CONFIGURATION. THE OUTER WING SPARS CONSISTED OF A SERIES OF UPPER & LOWER STRAPS. THESE WERE SECURED TO A SHEET METAL WEB WITH RIVETS. THE 4 LOWER SPAR STRAPS HAD FAILED; 2 HAD FAILED AT THE 1ST RIVET HOLE OUTBOARD OF THE BOX SPAR CONFIGURATION; ONE FAILED AT THE 1ST BOLT HOLE NEAR THE OUTBOARD END OF THE BOX SPAR & THE 4TH FAILED FLUSH WITH THE OUTBOARD END OF THE BOX SPAR.
Probable Cause: FAILURE OF THE WING SPAR STRAPS, AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING MANEUVERED AROUND A PYLON IN AN AIR RACE.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CHI91DCD01
Location
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, ] |
| 11-Apr-2024 14:32 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
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