# Accident 19970917044899A: Amtr CELEBRITY, Ridgeland, SC, September 17, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 17, 1997, 10:15 local time
- Place: Ridgeland, SC
- Airport: Ridgeland Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.4791° N, 80.9806° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.4791&lon=-80.9806&mi=10
- Aircraft: N729BL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N729BL-2006-03-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Louttit Robert I CELEBRITY (registry code 05628FL, https://openairdocs.org/model/louttit-robert-i-celebrity) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-200 series (registry code 17020, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR CELEBRITY
- Reported engine: CONT O200A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 238 total, 127 in this make and model, 21 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA97LA245](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97LA245) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970917044899A

## Narrative

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

TOP FABRIC RIPPED OFF WING ON PULLOUT FROM A LOOP. UNABLE SUSTAIN FLIGHT FULL POWER. WOOD LEADING EDGE FAILED. (-23) ON 09/17/97 PILOT WAS PERFORMING ACROBATICS AT 3000 FT. MSL IN HIS AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT. HE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED 5 LOOPS. WHEN PULLING OUT OF THE 6TH LOOP, THE PILOT REPORTED A LOUD NOISE AND SAW FABRIC FROM THE TOP OF THE TOP WING, TRAILING AFT OF THE WINGS. PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. RETURNED TO AIRPORT AND LANDED IN HEAVY GROWTH AREA ADJACENT TO RUNWAY. AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. UPON INSPECTING AIRCRAFT, IT WAS FOUND THAT BOTH TOP WINGS LEADING EDGES FORWARD OF WING SPARS FAILED AND ONE LEADING EDGE ASSEMBLY DEPARTED AIRCRAFT.

## 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 MIA97LA245](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97LA245), Sep 17, 1997: Louttit Celebrity (N729BL), Ridgeland, SC, substantial damage. Probable cause: the in-flight failure of the upper wing spar wood resulting in a forced landing in swampy terrain.

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.

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