# Accident 19971206037429A: Leesburg, FL, December 6, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 6, 1997, 16:30 local time
- Place: Leesburg, FL
- Airport: Flying Florida Gator
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.8108° N, 81.8779° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Leesburg, FL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.8108&lon=-81.8779&mi=10
- Aircraft: DMSMV (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX912
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971206037429A

## Narrative

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

RIGHT WING DELAMINATED ON CLIMBOUT. ROLLED, DOVE INTO GROUND. (-23) ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1997, AT APPROXIMATELY 1630 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, DMSMV, A GERMAN REGISTERED D4 FASCINATION, SERIAL NUMBER 61142-B, CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF FROM THE FLORIDA FLYING GATORS AIRPORT NEAR LEESBURG, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE AREA AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE PRIVATE PILOT (FOREIGN BASED) CERTIFICATE NUMBER 2511971, SIEGBERT JOHANNES METZGER AND HIS PASSENGER, VINCE SALADINO, WERE BOTH FATALLY INJURED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER, ENGINE, COCKPIT, FUSELAGE, RIGHT WING, AND LEFT WING. THE EMPENNAGE SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARS TO HAVE SUFFERED A STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF THE RIGHT WING. THE RIGHT WING FABRIC COVERING WAS SEVERELY CRACKLED (TOP AND BOTTOM) AND THE INTERIOR PARTS SUCH AS THE PUSH RODE, RIBS, AND THE FLAP HINGE WERE TWISTED. SIMILAR DAMAGE WAS NOT EVIDENT IN THE LEFT WING. RIGHT WING DAMAGE MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE WING FLUTTERING. THE RIGHT WING MAIN SPAR WAS BROKEN APPROXIMATELY ONE FOOT OUTBOARD OF THE INTERNAL DRA             G BRACE, THE RIGHT FLAP HINGE WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 40 FEET AWAY FROM THE IMPACT SITE. A PART OF THE WING ROOT AND A PLASTIC LENS CAP WAS DISCOVERED APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER MILE FROM THE IMPACT SITE. THESE PARTS WERE RELATIVELY UNDAMAGED AND APPEAR TO HAVE SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT. WITNESS REPORT THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ROLLING AND THEN WENT NOSE DOWN IN A 45 DEGREE ANGLE COMING TO REST IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION. THE BALLISTIC RECOVERY SYSTEM (PARACHUTE) APPEARS TO HAVE PARTIALLY DEPLOYED AFTER IMPACT. THE BODY OF THE PARACHUTE WAS STILL IN THE CANISTER BUT THE ROCKET MOTOR AND STRINGERS WERE IN A TREE. THE DEPLOYMENT HANDLE WAS CUT OFF. THE PROPELLER HAD NO TORSIONAL TWISTING OR S' BENDING, PROPELLER GEARS WERE NOT SHEARED BUT WITNESSES REPORT THE ENGINE WAS TURNING. A COMPRESSION CHECK OF THE ENGINE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL DUE TO IMPACT DAMAGE. AIRCRAFT ACCELEROMETER WAS PEGGED AT 10 G'S. MANIFOLD PRESSURE GAUGE WAS AT 30 PSI. VERTICAL SPEED INDICATOR WAS A -300 FPM. ALTIMETER WAS AT -100FT AT 30.14. RUDDER AND ELEVATOR LINKAGES HAD CONTINUTIY TO THE BELL CRANK. FUEL SELECTOR SWITCH WAS OFF, NAV. SWITCH WAS OFF, AVIONICS SWITCH WAS OFF. THESE MAY HAVE BEEN TURNED OFF BY RESCUE PERSONNEL. THE ACCIDENT SCENE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED BY RESCUE PERSONNEL WHO WERE REMOVING THE DECEASED. THE DEPUTY SHERIFF ON THE SCENE REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT DID HAVE FUEL (FUEL TANK WAS RUPTURED AND EMPTY). LOCAL RESIDENT AND WITNESS, TOM FREE, USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER ON THE AIRCRAFT BECAUSE HE SAW SMOKE AFTER IMPACT, THE SMOKE MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE BALLISTIC RECOVERY SYSTEM DEPLOYING.

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

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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