ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 41250
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| Date: | Sunday 5 December 1999 |
| Time: | 17:00 LT |
| Type: |  Corbin/King Osprey 2 |
| Owner/operator: | Leonard Ainsworth |
| Registration: | N192DC |
| MSN: | 192 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 108 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-A2B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lower Otay Lake Reservoir near Chula Vista, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | San Diego, CA (KSDM) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane came to rest in a lake after witnesses heard a loud noise. They saw the airplane in a tight spiral and pieces of it were floating in trail. The engine sound changed from a loud to a softer tone as the airplane rotated. Earlier in the afternoon, the pilot had visited a retired FAA inspector in Ramona, California, where he had appeared to be in good health and spirits. The inspector looked at the airplane prior to departure and did not notice anything unusual. The engine sounded good and was running strong when it taxied away from his hangar. Both wings and the fuselage/tail assembly were found floating. The left wing and canopy were lightly damaged. The left wing fractured and separated near the fuselage in a downward direction. The rest of the airplane was highly damaged and fragmented. Investigators established flight control continuity. They established engine valve train and accessory gear continuity. The oil screen was clean and the spark plug color indicated normal operation. They discovered no discrepancies that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine. Toxicological testing returned a positive result for amitriptyline and nortriptyline. Amitriptyline is one of the most sedating of the antidepressants, and is given almost exclusively in the evenings because of these effects. The levels found in the pilot's blood suggested regular use of a low dosage of the medication as he and his doctor had previously described in the application for his airman's medical certificate. It is unclear what effect, if any, such low levels would have on the pilot's performance. The nature of the accident does not suggest that the medication played a significant role. However, it is possible that the medication and/or the condition for which it was being taken resulted in less than optimum response to an evolving emergency condition.
Probable Cause: The pilot exceeded the design stress limits of the airplane resulting in wing overload and separation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX00LA049
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 14-May-2010 22:50 | JINX | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 30-Jun-2013 03:23 | JINX | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 14-Dec-2017 10:01 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Apr-2024 16:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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