What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.19) On September 1,1999, about 0930 eastern daylight time, a Sukhoi SU-29, N52PB, registered to aerial three inc., impacted with the ground near unincorporated Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR part 91 local personal flight. The airplane was destroyed. The commercial-rated pilot reported serious injuries. The flight had departed from the north perry airport, hollywood, Florida, about 0900. According to a witness, that was riding a lawn mower near the crash site, he saw the airplane at a low altitude, about 150-200 feet above the ground, heading in an easterly direction. The airplane turned 360 degrees to the right, descended, leveled off, for short time, then entered a steep nose low turn to the right, until it impacted the ground. In addition, the witness said the airplane was moving slow, after it had leveled off, and beore it went into the nose low steep turn. The witness could not hear the sound of the airplane's engine because his lawn mower was running, and the noise of the lawn mower was too loud to hear anything. (.4)the pilot been doing aerobatic snap rolls. After approximately 10-15 snaps he began another. As he pulled on the stick he '...felt the ailerons brake loose.' He recovered from the snap at 2,500 feet AGL. The airplane started a 20 degree to 30 degree steep descending turn to the right. He attempted to right the airplane with back stick and left rudder to no avail. He elected to make a controlled landing in a turn. About 600 feet AGL the right wing went down to 90 degrees the nose then went down the same till impact with the ground. At no time did he have any directional or aileron control of the airplane. Laboratory examination of the inboard sections of the right aileron, the inboard aerodynamic compensator (spade) from the right aileron, and the outboard aerodynamic compensator from the left aileron, revealed, the in-flight loss of control was due to fatigue cracking and the subsequent fracture of the actuator lever attaching the right aileron to the control rod. In addition, the left aileron was cracked and a portion of this spar had been missing for some time. The fatigue cracking in the actuator lever from the right aileron and the rupture of the aft spar in the left aileron were precipated by the fatigue cracking in the attachment structure of the inboard spade from the right airleron and the outboard spade from the left airleron.
As the FAA filed it
(.19) ON SEPTEMBER 1,1999, ABOUT 0930 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A SUKHOI SU-29, N52PB, REGISTERED TO AERIAL THREE INC., IMPACTED WITH THE GROUND NEAR UNINCORPORATED FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE 14 CFR PART 91 LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT REPORTED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE FLIGHT HAD DEPARTED FROM THE NORTH PERRY AIRPORT, HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA, ABOUT 0900. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THAT WAS RIDING A LAWN MOWER NEAR THE CRASH SITE, HE SAW THE AIRPLANE AT A LOW ALTITUDE, ABOUT 150-200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, HEADING IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION. THE AIRPLANE TURNED 360 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT, DESCENDED, LEVELED OFF, FOR SHORT TIME, THEN ENTERED A STEEP NOSE LOW TURN TO THE RIGHT, UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE GROUND. IN ADDITION, THE WITNESS SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS MOVING SLOW, AFTER IT HAD LEVELED OFF, AND BEORE IT WENT INTO THE NOSE LOW STEEP TURN. THE WITNESS COULD NOT HEAR THE SOUND OF THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE BECAUSE HIS LAWN MOWER WAS RUNNING, AND THE NOISE OF THE LAWN MOWER WAS TOO LOUD TO HEAR ANYTHING. (.4)THE PILOT BEEN DOING AEROBATIC SNAP ROLLS. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 10-15 SNAPS HE BEGAN ANOTHER. AS HE PULLED ON THE STICK HE '...FELT THE AILERONS BRAKE LOOSE.' HE RECOVERED FROM THE SNAP AT 2,500 FEET AGL. THE AIRPLANE STARTED A 20 DEGREE TO 30 DEGREE STEEP DESCENDING TURN TO THE RIGHT. HE ATTEMPTED TO RIGHT THE AIRPLANE WITH BACK STICK AND LEFT RUDDER TO NO AVAIL. HE ELECTED TO MAKE A CONTROLLED LANDING IN A TURN. ABOUT 600 FEET AGL THE RIGHT WING WENT DOWN TO 90 DEGREES THE NOSE THEN WENT DOWN THE SAME TILL IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. AT NO TIME DID HE HAVE ANY DIRECTIONAL OR AILERON CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. LABORATORY EXAMINATION OF THE INBOARD SECTIONS OF THE RIGHT AILERON, THE INBOARD AERODYNAMIC COMPENSATOR (SPADE) FROM THE RIGHT AILERON, AND THE OUTBOARD AERODYNAMIC COMPENSATOR FROM THE LEFT AILERON, REVEALED, THE IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL WAS DUE TO FATIGUE CRACKING AND THE SUBSEQUENT FRACTURE OF THE ACTUATOR LEVER ATTACHING THE RIGHT AILERON TO THE CONTROL ROD. IN ADDITION, THE LEFT AILERON WAS CRACKED AND A PORTION OF THIS SPAR HAD BEEN MISSING FOR SOME TIME. THE FATIGUE CRACKING IN THE ACTUATOR LEVER FROM THE RIGHT AILERON AND THE RUPTURE OF THE AFT SPAR IN THE LEFT AILERON WERE PRECIPATED BY THE FATIGUE CRACKING IN THE ATTACHMENT STRUCTURE OF THE INBOARD SPADE FROM THE RIGHT AIRLERON AND THE OUTBOARD SPADE FROM THE LEFT AIRLERON.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.