# Accident 19980224006049A: Amtr CUMULUS, Hillsboro, TN, February 24, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 24, 1998, 12:30 local time
- Place: Hillsboro, TN
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.4608° N, 86.0803° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.4608&lon=-86.0803&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1171U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1171U-2000-03-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Collie Walter J U S AVIATION CUMULUS (registry code 056038A, https://openairdocs.org/model/collie-walter-j-u-s-aviation-cumulus) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR CUMULUS
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX447
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,800 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA98LA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA084) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980224006049A

## Narrative

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

NARRATIVE: ON FEBRUARY 24, 1998, ABOUT 1320 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE CALLED A CUMULUS, N1171U, REGISTERED TO AN INDIVIDUAL, OPERATING AS A 14 CFR 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP WHILE IN CRUISE NEAR HILLSBORO, TENNESSEE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE RATED COMMERCIAL PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM SPENCER FIELD, TENNESSEE, ABOUT 50 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. AN EYEWITNESS STATED HE HEARD A LOUD "POP", LOOKED UP, AND SAW THE AIRPLANE'S WING, OR A LARGE PART OF ONE, SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN STRUCTURE. A BALLISTIC PARACHUTE DEPLOYED, BUT FOULED IN THE AIRPLANE'S PUSHER-TYPE PROPELLER.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            MENT OF THE PARACHUTE'S CANOPY. ON-SITE EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE BY FAA PERSONNEL REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING SPAR FAILED.  SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION BY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE KIT MANUFACTURER, U.S. AVIATION, AND THE FAA, REVEALED THAT THE INITIAL FAILURE WAS THE LEFT WING SPAR DUE TO IMPROPER BONDING TECHNIQUES.  SPECIFICALLY, THE GLUE-BONDED JOINT BETWEEN THE D-CELL LEADING EDGE AND THE UPPER SPAR CAPSTRIP OF THE LEFT WING FAILED.  THE FINDINGS WERE UNANIMOUS.  (SEE ENCLOSED LETTER INDICATING INSPECTION TEAM'S COMPOSITION AND FINDINGS).  POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION OF THE PILOT AND TOXICOLOGY TESTING WERE NOT ACCOMPLISHED.  THE PROTOCOL GUIDANCE GIVEN THE FAA INVESTIGATORS ON THE SCENE, BY THE FAA FLIGHT SURGEON'S OFFICE/SOUTHERN REGION, WAS TO TREAT THE ACCIDENT AS AN ULTRALIGHT ACCIDENT, AND THEREFORE THE TESTING WAS NOT ORDERED.                                                            (-23) SEE NARRATIVE #MIA98LA084

## 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 MIA98LA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA98LA084), Feb 24, 1998: Walter J Collie Cumulus (N1171U), Hillsboro, TN, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: Debonding of the leading edge to spar cap joint, which resulted in inflight separation.

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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