19940728049089A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cvac SNV-2 · Racine, WI · July 28, 1994

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: July 28, 1994 · 22:23 local
Place: Racine, WI
Airport: Horlick-Racine Airport
Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N79572
Reported as: Cvac SNV2
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney R985AN1
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,680 total104 in this make and model

N79572Registration cancelled Mar 20, 1997 · Consolidated Vultee SNV-2S/N 7128 Airframe modelConsolidated Vultee SNV-2

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(.4) Witnesses heard the vintage wwii trainer taking off at night. They reported that during the initial climb, the engine sound varied from high to low RPM 4 times, then they heard the airplane collide with the two-story apartment building. A pilot approaching to land at the departure airport reported seeing the accident airplane at low altitude and '...not climbing or climbing at a very shallow angle.' Other witnesses described the engine as 'sputtering' and 'backfiring.' An on-scene investigation revealed that the engine's 10:1 collector intermediate gear had two teeth missing. Metallurgical examination of the fractures by the safety board revealed features consistent with overstress separation.

As the FAA filed it

(.4) WITNESSES HEARD THE VINTAGE WWII TRAINER TAKING OFF AT NIGHT. THEY REPORTED THAT DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB, THE ENGINE SOUND VARIED FROM HIGH TO LOW RPM 4 TIMES, THEN THEY HEARD THE AIRPLANE COLLIDE WITH THE TWO-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING. A PILOT APPROACHING TO LAND AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT REPORTED SEEING THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE AT LOW ALTITUDE AND '...NOT CLIMBING OR CLIMBING AT A VERY SHALLOW ANGLE.' OTHER WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE ENGINE AS 'SPUTTERING' AND 'BACKFIRING.' AN ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE'S 10:1 COLLECTOR INTERMEDIATE GEAR HAD TWO TEETH MISSING. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURES BY THE SAFETY BOARD REVEALED FEATURES CONSISTENT WITH OVERSTRESS SEPARATION.