- Date
- August 22, 1993, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Zeeland, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N534AASheats FALCON-XP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930822029919A
- Case key
- 9142
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
an inadequate maintenance inspection by the pilot/owner and the separation of the wing skin.
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 homebuilt airplane was undergoing maintenance flight tests after 2 1/2 years of storage. During initial climbout from takeoff, the airplane began an uncontrolled descent and left hand bank. The left wing, followed by the nose, collided with the ground. A witness reported observing a portion of the left wing's mylar covering standing up on the wing during the flight. An on-scene investigation revealed that the tape holding the mylar wing covering down had peeled off the left wing's leading edge.
Factual narrative
History of flight
On August 22, 1993 at 1230 EDT, a home built Falcon-XP, N534AA took off from a private air strip near Zeeland, Michigan. Shortly after lift-off, the covering on the upper left wing detached and started to peel back resulting in loss of lift and uncontrolled descent into the ground.
Injuries to persons
The private pilot and owner of the aircraft received minor injuries.
Damage to aircraft
Substantial damage resulted from ground contact. The fuselage collapsed forward of the wing, nose gear folded into fuselage, the wings and tail were distorted.
Additional information
The wing covering of transparent Mylar, was held onto the aluminum leading edge with tape. The tape peeled off the upper left wing causing a loose flapping covering.
The wreckage was released to the owner R.W. Thorpe on August 23, 1993.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N534AA
- Reported as
- Sheats FALCON-XP
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 600157
- Airframe hours
- 130
- Engine
- Rotax 503, 52 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ralph Wayne Thorpe
- Registered owner
- Ralph Wayne Thorpe
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 15, 1987 · 35 hours before
- Airport
- Private
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 248 total · 30 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRR, 21 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.