- Date
- June 23, 1991, 15:48 local (20:48 UTC)
- Place
- Davenport, IA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4227NHeal SONERAI-I
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910623023209A
- Case key
- 14795
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
Failure of the wing spar straps, as the aircraft was being maneuvered around a pylon in an air race.
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 plt was participating in a pylon air race for formula v racers. Abt half way thru the race, as he was mnvrg past the #2 pylon, the left wing bgn to separate. The wing then folded ovr the top of the acft. The wing & pieces of the canopy fell to the gnd. As the wing sepd, the acft bgn a violent roll & flwd a trajectory path to the gnd. Inv revealed the inner portion of each wing was designed with box spar construction, secured to a fuselage carry-thru configuration. The outer wing spars consisted of a series of upper & lower straps. These were secured to a sheet metal web with rivets. The 4 lower spar straps had failed; 2 had failed at the 1st rivet hole outboard of the box spar configuration; one failed at the 1st bolt hole near the outboard end of the box spar & the 4th failed flush with the outboard end of the box spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4227N
- Reported as
- Heal SONERAI-I
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 210
- Engine
- Volkswagen CONVERSION, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- R.W. Leonard
- Departed
- DVN
- Airport
- DVN · Davenport Muni
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- DVN, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.