- Date
- June 20, 1982, 14:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Roanoke, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N111CHVarieze
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 20, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820620025709A
- Case key
- 72400
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
About 5 min after takeoff, the pilot initiated a high speed low pass over the airport. When the aircraft was about 1000 ft from the airport at about 100 ft AGL, the right winglet separated. A witness estimated that the aircraft's speed was about 200 mph. Subsequently, the plane rolled inverted and crashed. An examination revealed that the winglet was not installed in accordance to the designer's plans. Specifically, the plans called for an 8-PLY fiberglass build-up on the outside radius from the lower wing to the outside surface of the winglet. Fiberglass build-up was not incorported. The designer estimated that it had less than 1/20 of the design strength. At high speed, with zero side slip, there is an inward aerodynamic (bending) load on the winglet that is equivalent to a 15 deg side slip at low speed. This winglet had failed inward. Also, a number of other deviations from the designers plans were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N111CH
- Reported as
- Varieze
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 212
- Airframe hours
- 77
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles E. Hammond
- Registered owner
- Charles E. Hammond
- Departed
- Roanoke, TX
- Destination
- Roanoke, TX
- Airport
- Aero Valley, runway 17, 3,500 × 100 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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 330 total · 77 in this make and model · 73 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 185 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.