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20050612019069A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Amtr DRIFTERMU532 · Gloucester, VA · June 12, 2005

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Date
June 12, 2005
Place
Gloucester, VA
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N9283V
Reported as
Amtr DRIFTERMU532
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Pilot’s flight hours
1,000 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
N9283VRegistration cancelled May 13, 2015 · Hall J Douglas MAXAIR DRIFTERMU532S/N DR3600 · Built 1996Airframe modelHall J Douglas MAXAIR DRIFTERMU532Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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) The aircraft landed inverted in a nose low attitude and sustained extensive damage on impact. The empennage was separated from the fuselage at the tail boom point of attachment of the wing trailing edge cable attachments. Wings were attached but cable supports were separated at fuselage attach points. Corrosion was evident on the tail boom area and numerous other critical areas of this aircraft. The aircraft was reported to have been operated in a salt-water environment. According to a witness statement the aircraft was observed to be flying in level flight when the tail started to wobble and then break off. The aircraft did not display the registration numbers. According to original certification file photographs the registration numbers were displayed at certification. A manufacturer's data plate could not be found. Also special airworthiness certificate and registration certificate could not be located in aircraft. The pilot privacy data omitted was certificated by the FAA as an aircraft repairman for this aircraft on 07/04/1996. The Virginia state decal license on the tail boom showed the registration number N9283V in small hand written numbers on the decal, no other identificationinformation was visible on the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT LANDED INVERTED IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE AND SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ON IMPACT. THE EMPENNAGE WAS SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE AT THE TAIL BOOM POINT OF ATTACHMENT OF THE WING TRAILING EDGE CABLE ATTACHMENTS. WINGS WERE ATTACHED BUT CABLE SUPPORTS WERE SEPARATED AT FUSELAGE ATTACH POINTS. CORROSION WAS EVIDENT ON THE TAIL BOOM AREA AND NUMEROUS OTHER CRITICAL AREAS OF THIS AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN OPERATED IN A SALT-WATER ENVIRONMENT. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS STATEMENT THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO BE FLYING IN LEVEL FLIGHT WHEN THE TAIL STARTED TO WOBBLE AND THEN BREAK OFF. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT DISPLAY THE REGISTRATION NUMBERS. ACCORDING TO ORIGINAL CERTIFICATION FILE PHOTOGRAPHS THE REGISTRATION NUMBERS WERE DISPLAYED AT CERTIFICATION. A MANUFACTURER'S DATA PLATE COULD NOT BE FOUND. ALSO SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE AND REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE COULD NOT BE LOCATED IN AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS CERTIFICATED BY THE FAA AS AN AIRCRAFT REPAIRMAN FOR THIS AIRCRAFT ON 07/04/1996. THE VIRGINIA STATE DECAL LICENSE ON THE TAIL BOOM SHOWED THE REGISTRATION NUMBER N9283V IN SMALL HAND WRITTEN NUMBERS ON THE DECAL, NO OTHER IDENTIFICATIONINFORMATION WAS VISIBLE ON THE AIRCRAFT.