- Date
- September 17, 1988, 11:27 local (16:27 UTC)
- Place
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N57DHSnyder Stolp SA-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880917045399A
- Case key
- 22462
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
Total failure of the rudder control due to failure of the metal welds on the cable attachment to the rudder pedal, due to improper welding by the manufacturer.
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
Witnesses rprtd the plt was doing aerobatics near the arpt. They observed two snap rolls, then saw the acft enter a spin to the right. The witnesses said the acft was maneuvering at an estimated 1,500 to 1,900 feet AGL, then it spun, uncorrected to ground impact. An investigation revealed that in the rear cockpit, the rudder cable attachment on the left rudder pedal had failed. A metallurgical examination revealed the fracture was typical of overstress, but the welded area had voids & there was a lack of fusion & penetration in the welded area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N57DH
- Reported as
- Snyder Stolp SA-300 (STOLP SA-3)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 826
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Howard, H. David
- Registered owner
- H. David Howard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 15, 1988
- Departed
- HSD5
- Airport
- HSD · Sundance, runway 17, 5,000 × ft, concrete
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 708 total · 658 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PWA, 3 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.