- Date
- June 8, 1991, 10:49 local (17:49 UTC)
- Place
- Sebastopal, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9939MCullen/Roth Falcon XP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910608020659A
- Case key
- 27240
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
The structural failure of the airplane's canard wing. Contributing factors which related to the accident were the pilot's performance of an adjustment to the rigging of his airplane which deteriorated its flight characteristics.
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 pilot reported that he had modified the rigging of his experimental category airplane's canard wing, and also performed other adjustments to the airplane. The pilot intended to evaluate the performance of his modified amateur built airplane during the test flight. The pilot climbed to 5000 feet AGL, slowed to 30 mph and attempted to turn left. The airplane stalled, entered a spin and the wing failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9939M
- Reported as
- Cullen/Roth Falcon XP
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 600203
- Engine
- Bombardier ROTAX 503, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- William E. Cullen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- O01 · Santa Rosa, CA
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 252 total · 124 in this make and model · 183 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.