- Date
- January 24, 1990, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Village, IN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- UNREGPterodactyl Ascender II+2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 14493
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
In-flight structural failure of the right wing spar.
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.
Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction
Wing,spar - failure,totalCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Terrain condition - open field
Analysis
Experimental homebuilt crashed while on final approach to landing. Witnesses observed the right wing to fold in flight and the aircraft tumble end over end to the ground. Investigation revealed complete failure of the right wing spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Pterodactyl Ascender II+2 (ASCENDER I)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Engine
- Cuyuna LURR 430, 35 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Macmillen, James W.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- C98 · Lake Village, IN
- Airport
- C98 · Lake Village, runway 36, 2,480 × 150 ft, grass/turf
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 172 total · 172 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GYY, 27 nm away