- Date
- February 23, 2008, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Poplar Grove, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3527VCessna 140
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Aircraft structural failure
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20080223838839A
- Case key
- 67625
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The left wing skin "fabric patch" separated from the wing ribs and spars for an undetermined reason.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that he was in a steep right turn when he heard a "thump" which seemed to come from the tail section of the airplane. He leveled the wings and realized that he was "holding extreme right rudder with the pedal depressed to about three-fourths of its full travel." The CFI flew back to the airport that was 10 miles away. During the final approach to landing, the CFI flew the tai wheel-equipped airplane to within 6 - 12 inches of the runway and let the airspeed bleed off prior to touchdown. He reported that he ran out of right rudder just as all three wheels touched down. The inspection of the airplane revealed that a large section of the left wing's fabric had separated from the airplane. Nine wing ribs plus the main and rear spars from wing station 58 to wing station 176 were visible as a result of the missing wing fabric. A review of the maintenance records indicated that on October 16, 2000, the left wing was repaired and a "fabric patch" was used to repair the wing's fabric.
Factual narrative
The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that he was in a steep right turn when he heard a "thump" which seemed to come from the tail section of the airplane. He leveled the wings and realized that he was "holding extreme right rudder with the pedal depressed to about three-fourths of its full travel." The CFI flew back to the airport that was 10 miles away. During the final approach to landing, the CFI flew the tail wheel equipped airplane to within 6 - 12 inches of the runway and let the airspeed bleed off prior to touchdown. He reported that he ran out of right rudder just as all three wheels touched down.
The inspection of the airplane revealed that a large section of the left wing's fabric had separated from the airplane. Nine wing ribs plus the main and rear spars from wing station 58 to wing station 176 were visible as a result of the missing wing fabric. A review of the maintenance records indicated that on October 16, 2000, the left wing was repaired and a "fabric patch" was used to repair the wing's fabric.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3527V
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 14796
- Airframe hours
- 4,418
- Engine
- Continental C90, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Poplar Grove Airmotive
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2007 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- C77 · Poplar Grove, IL
- Airport
- C77 · Poplar Grove Airport
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 64
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 1,400 total · 200 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.