- Date
- August 3, 1992, 16:10 local (21:10 UTC)
- Place
- Oshkosh, WI
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N109SBEdra/Mcdermitt Seabird/Petrel
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920803028729A
- Case key
- 15304
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
Inadequate quality control during the manufacturing process resulting in the in-flight structural failure of the tailboom.
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 brazilian manufactured amphibian homebuilt kit airplane had not made any water landings or takeoffs prior to its arrival at the eaa fly-in. It had been parked in a cove adjacent to a lake. Sometime during the evening and/or early morning the following day, the airplane became partially submerged while moored due to rough weather and water. It was brought close to shore and the water removed. Prior to the flight witnesses observed the pilot and an associate pulling the airplane onto shore by the tailboom. During the second day of flying, the empennage and tailboom assembly separated from the fuselage/hull during a descent. Post-crash examination revealed that the tailboom was constructed with only four of the six required carbon fiber laminate plies. In addition, the strips utilized to hold the tailboom together were also minus one carbon fiber laminate ply. The tailboom came assembled from the kit manufacturer in brazil.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N109SB
- Reported as
- Edra/Mcdermitt Seabird/Petrel (SEABIRD/PE)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0035-B
- Engine
- Rotax 532LC, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Seabird Aviation
- Registered owner
- Seabird Aviation
- Last inspection
- Unknown · July 13, 1992
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,771 total · 89 in this make and model · 1,638 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 9 knots, gusting 2
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OSH, 5 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.