# Accident 19950620020559A: Bbavia 8KCAB, Frankfort, IL, June 20, 1995 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 20, 1995, 19:27 local time - Place: Frankfort, IL - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Descent - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 41.4894° N, 87.8294° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4894&lon=-87.8294&mi=10 - Aircraft: N109AC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N109AC-1996-08-07) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: American Champion 8KCAB (registry code 2121000, https://openairdocs.org/model/american-champion-8kcab) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BBAVIA 8KCAB - Reported engine: LYC AEIO360H1A - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Pilot flight hours: 623 total, 225 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI95FA191](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI95FA191) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950620020559A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. INVERTED DUALL FLITE SIC USED BACK STICK. BEGAN SPLIT S, TOO FAST LOST RIGHT WING. SIC NOT A CFI. RECKLESS ATITUDE. (.19) ON JUNE 20, 1995, AT 1927 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME (CDT), AN AMERICAN CHAMPION 8KCAB, N109AC, REGISTERED TO THE ALPHA CHARLEY FLYING CLUB, INCORPORATED, OF OLYMPIA FIELDS, ILLINOIS, AND PILOTED BY A PRIVATE PILOT, WAS DESTROYED DURING A COLLISION WITH THE GROUND FOLLOWING AN IN-FLIGHT STRUCTURAL FAILURE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE AEROBATIC 14 CFR PART 91 TRAINING FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT/PART OWNER OF THE AIRPLANE RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE SECOND OCCUPANT, ALSO A PRIVATE PILOT, WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FRANKFORT, IL, EXACT TIME UNKNOWN. (.4) THE PRIVATE PILOT-OWNER WAS GIVING AEROBATIC INSTRUCTION TO ANOTHER PRIVATE PILOT. THE PILOT HAD THE SECOND PILOT PLACE THE AIRPLANE INTO INVERTED FLIGHT SO HE COULD SEE WHERE THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE SHOULD BE DURING AN AILERON ROLL. THE SECOND PILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE IN AN INVERTED ATTITUDE WITH FULL POWER AND HIGH RPM. HE TOLD THE SECOND PILOT TO ROLL OUT OF THE INVERTED FLIGHT. THE SECOND PILOT PULLED AFT ON THE CONTROL STICK AND DID A SPLIT-S MANEUVER. THE AIRSPEED WAS ABOVE THE NEVER EXCEED SPEED DURING ITS DESCENT. HE KNEW THIS BECAUSE HE HAD FLOWN ABOVE THAT SPEED BEFORE SO THAT HE COULD KNOW WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE. AS HE BEGAN TO START RECOVERY THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED, AND WAS THE FIRST AIRFRAME COMPONENT ALONG THE WRECKAGE TRAIL. THE LEFT WING WAS THE SECOND ITEM ALONG THE WRECKAGE TRAIL, AND WAS MANGLED AND TWISTED. THE LEFT WING'S MAIN WING STRUT ATTACH FITTING HAD A FATIGUE STRIATION PATTERN THROUGH ABOUT 90% OF ITS AFT LEG. FATIGUE CRACKING WENT THROUGH ABOUT 25 PERCENT OF THE FITTING'S FORWARD LEG. (-23) AIRCRAFT WAS PRACTICING AEROBATICS WHEN THE RIGHT WING CAME OFF AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT FELL TO THE GROUND SHEDDING OTHER WING. ONE PILOT, MR. GORDON, WAS THROWN FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND PARACHUTED TO SAFETY WITH MINOR INJURIES. THE OTHER PILOT, MR. CHUDZICK, REMAINED WITH THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS FATALLY INJURED AS THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED, BURNED, AND WAS DESTROYED. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI95FA191](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI95FA191), Jun 21, 1995: Champion 8KCAB (N109AC), Frankfort, IL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot-in-command's overconfidence in his personal ability in attempting to teach aerobatics, his lack of experience as a flight instructor, and allowing the airplane to get into a position where… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.