- Date
- May 25, 1988, 15:07 local (19:07 UTC)
- Place
- Pontiac, MI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N889HCChappel Ratsrepus 300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 13845
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
Destructive wing/aileron flutter is suspected, but not sufficiently substantiated through research and calculations to be cited as the probable cause of this accident.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was testing this experimental acrobatic aircraft, making a second low pass over the runway when a portion of the left wing separated from the aircraft, followed by loss of the left aileron, 1 1/2 rolls to the left and ground impact. The airframe total time was 4 hours. On-scene inspection revealed no mass balance in the ailerons. Witnesses estimate speeds at or above 150 mph. A designated engineering representative in the area of flutter and vibration stated he had recommended that the airspeed be limited to a maximum speed of approximately 135 mph until ground vibration tests were conducted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N889HC
- Reported as
- Chappel Ratsrepus 300 (RATSREPUS)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 2
- Airframe hours
- 4
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Harold R. Chappel II
- Registered owner
- Harold Raymond Chappell II
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- PTK · Pontiac, MI
- Airport
- PTK · Oakland/Pontiac, runway 9L, 3,251 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,810 total · 4 in this make and model · 2,810 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PTK