# Accident 19970330003889A: Amtr SUPERKOALA, Perry Township, PA, March 30, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 30, 1997, 15:20 local time
- Place: Perry Township, PA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.5498° N, 75.9799° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.5498&lon=-75.9799&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4424V, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4424V-1998-03-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Low Harold SUPER KOALA (registry code 05620QR, https://openairdocs.org/model/low-harold-super-koala) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR SUPERKOALA
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX503
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 1,475 total, 20 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC97LA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC97LA066) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970330003889A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

WITNESS HEARD A SNAP, AIRCRAFT SPIRAL IN AND CRASHED NOSE FIRST INTO GROUND.(.4)A WITNESS HEARD THE AIRPLANE FLYING OVERHEAD, AND HEARD A 'SHARP SNAP.' WHEN HE LOOKED, HE ESTIMATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 1,500 TO 2,500 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, DESCENDING IN A WIDE 'SWIRLING' MOTION, COUNTER CLOCKWISE.  THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE GROUND ABOUT 2,000 FEET FROM HIS RESIDENCE.  THE HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE HAD BEEN CONSTRUCTED IN FLORIDA, AND THEN PURCHASED BY ANOTHER PILOT.  THE NEW OWNER TRAILERED THE AIRPLANE TO PENNSYLVANIA, AND INSTALLED THE WINGS.  THE AIRPLANE WAS INSPECTED BY A FAA INSPECTOR, TEST FLOWN FOR 40 HOURS BY THE ACCIDENT PILOT AND THE OWNER, AND HAD AN ANNUAL INSPECTION PERFORMED ON IT.  AFTER THE ANNUAL INSPECTION, IT WAS AGAIN INSPECTED BY THE FAA INSPECTOR, AND AN AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED.  ABOUT 4 TO 5 FLIGHT HOURS LATER THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.  EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE RIGHT REAR JURY STRUT WAS BROKEN FROM THE REAR SPAR ATTACHING POINT, WITH THE JURY BASE PLATE STILL INTACT.  THE TWO SELF LOCKING NUTS AND BOLTS HOLDING THE BASE PLATE TO THE SPAR WERE ONLY FINGER TIGHT.  THE JURY STRUT CONNECTIONS WERE NOT VISIBLE THROUGH THE COMPLETED WING I NSPECTION HOLES. SOEM GLUED AREAS CONTAINED SANDING MARKS, BUT WERE NOT COVERED WITH GLUE.

## 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 NYC97LA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC97LA066), Mar 30, 1997: Lowe Super Koala (N4424V), Perry Township, PA, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: improper construction by the builder which led to the failure of the strut and wing assembly.

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.