20040608017419A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Amtr J3KITTEN · Mohawk, TN · June 8, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: June 8, 2004 · 20:20 local
Place: Mohawk, TN
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: NONE
Reported as: Amtr J3KITTEN
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) According to eyewitnesses, the noncertificated pilot was doing hammerhead stalls in an unregistered homebuilt aircraft near cooper airfield, Mohawk, TN, when the upper fabric separated from the right wing. The pilot had knowledge of broken ribs in the right wing and chose to fly the aircraft in the known unairworthy condition. The damage to the right wing caused the aircraft to dip to the right then pitch down. The aircraft did not have shoulder restraints and the pilot impacted the instrument panel causing immediate death. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the aircraft was assembled with no rib stitching, which likely caused the fabric to separate from the ribs, leading to the tear and separation from the wing.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESSES, THE NONCERTIFICATED PILOT WAS DOING HAMMERHEAD STALLS IN AN UNREGISTERED HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT NEAR COOPER AIRFIELD, MOHAWK, TN, WHEN THE UPPER FABRIC SEPARATED FROM THE RIGHT WING. THE PILOT HAD KNOWLEDGE OF BROKEN RIBS IN THE RIGHT WING AND CHOSE TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT IN THE KNOWN UNAIRWORTHY CONDITION. THE DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO DIP TO THE RIGHT THEN PITCH DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE SHOULDER RESTRAINTS AND THE PILOT IMPACTED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CAUSING IMMEDIATE DEATH. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ASSEMBLED WITH NO RIB STITCHING, WHICH LIKELY CAUSED THE FABRIC TO SEPARATE FROM THE RIBS, LEADING TO THE TEAR AND SEPARATION FROM THE WING.