- Date
- November 22, 1991, 10:24 local (18:24 UTC)
- Place
- San Ysidro, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N118ASpeyer Avid Amphibian
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911122053329A
- Case key
- 27507
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 pilot/builder to follow the manufacturer's recommended airframe modification procedure to prevent the inflight loss of a flaperon due to flutter. Contributing to the accident was in inflight separation of the wing when the design limits of the airframe were exceeded.
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 certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was conducting flight tests on a newly manufactured experimental, amateur built airplane. While orbiting over an airport, the pilot declared an emergency and was observed descending in a left spiralling dive. The left flaperon and left wing separated from the fuselage. The pilot, who was wearing a parachute, attempted to bail out of the airplane at low altitude. The parachute failed to sufficiently open due to the low altitude. An examination of the separated flaperon disclosed cyclic overload and overtravel attributed to flutter. Flaperon counter weights were strongly recommended by the manufacturer to prevent flutter. The pilot elected not to install the counter weights because it would impose an addition of weight, and the pilot felt that they were not needed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N118A
- Reported as
- Speyer Avid Amphibian (AVID AMPHI)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6
- Airframe hours
- 3
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James Speyer
- Registered owner
- James Speyer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · October 22, 1991 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- SDM · San Diego, 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
- 41
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SDM, 2 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.