- Date
- September 17, 1990, 15:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- El Reno, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N469RRMassegee Rebel 300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900917039589A
- Case key
- 22961
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 elevator control rod at the bell crank.
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
During a pulling aerobatic maneuver the pilot experienced loss of elevator control. He attempted to land using elevator trim but found control to be inadequate for a successful landing. After climbing to a higher altitude the pilot bailed out of the airplane, which then descended out of control to impact. Investigation revealed that the elevator control rod failed at the bell crank, which attached the elevator rod to the control stick.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N469RR
- Reported as
- Massegee Rebel 300
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- TII087003
- Airframe hours
- 175
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-D, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Massegee, Richard B.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1990 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- OK
- Destination
- OK
- Airport
- F28 · El Reno 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
- 36
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 175 in this make and model · 8,500 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 130 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.