# Accident 19970526011779A: Amtrjf BARRACUDA, Arnold, MO, May 26, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 26, 1997
- Place: Arnold, MO
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.3610° N, 90.3690° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.3610&lon=-90.3690&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5926, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5926-2013-07-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Henry David E BARRACUDA (registry code 0561279, https://openairdocs.org/model/henry-david-e-barracuda) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Franklin 6A-350SER (registry code 27023, https://openairdocs.org/engine/franklin-6a-350ser) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTRJF BARRACUDA
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI97FA146](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97FA146) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970526011779A

## Narrative

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

(.4) A WITNESS 'HEARD A PLANE FLYING VERY LOW AND THE ENGINE WAS CUTTING IN AND OUT.' HE LOOKED ACROSS THE VALLEY AND SAW 'A SMALL AIRCRAFT FLYING BELOW THE RIDGE VERY ERRATIC.' THE WITNESS SAID HE SAW THE AIRPLANE GO INTO A ROLL AND DESCEND AT A 45-DEGREE ANGLE. 'JUST AS I LOST SIGHT (OF THE AIRPLANE), THE ENGINE SEEMED TO REV UP SLIGHTLY, THEN STOP. I COULD HEAR THE PLANE HITTING THE TREE TOPS AND THEN A LOUD THUD.' ANOTHER WITNESS SAID THAT HE SAW THE AIRPLANE 'ENTER THE CLOUDS AND THEN RE-APPEAR AT TREE TOP LEVEL IN A DESCENDING LEFT TURN.' THE WITNESS SAID THAT AS THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED FROM SIGHT, THE ENGINE SOUND INCREASED, THEN DECREASED, FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF THE AIRPLANE CRASHING INTO THE TREES. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. THE WEATHER WAS REPORTED AS BROKEN TO OVERCAST CEILING OF 400 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL), 2 MILES VISIBILITY, AND WINDS FROM 110 DEGREES AT 7 KNOTS. THERE WAS NO REPORT THAT THE PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE FLIGHT. THE OUTBOARD 8 FEET OF THE LEFT WING WAS LOCATED 405 FEET EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE, AND THE LEFT FLAP WAS FOUND ABOUT 435 FEET EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. AN EXAM OF THE LEFT WING REVEALED EVIDENCE OF AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP. THE LEFT MAIN SPAR WAS BENT UPWARD AND SPLINTERED. THE WOOD LAMINATES COVERING THE FORWARD AND AFT SURFACES OF THE SPAR SECTION SHOWED WOOD FIBERS PULLED APART IN AN UPWARD VECTOR. NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED BEFORE THE IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP.

## 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 CHI97FA146](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97FA146), May 26, 1997: Henry Barracuda (N5926), Antonia, MO, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: inadvertent flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), spatial disorientation of the pilot, which led to his loss of aircraft control, and the pilot exceeding the design…

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.