- Date
- March 28, 1992, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Newhall, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8838ABeech B-35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920328022099A
- Case key
- 27652
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
Improper ruddervator balancing that resulted in ruddervator flutter. Contributing to the accident was insufficient maintenance information to assure that AD compliance and elevator balancing was performed, and an inadequate annual inspection procedure that assured proper maintenance compliance.
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 cross country flight, the owner/pilot and an instructor pilot were descending through a hole in an overcast at 135 knots. The v-tail designed airplane suddenly experienced 4 violent pitch oscillations. The instructor pilot, who was flying the airplane, reduced airspeed and leveled the wings. This action stopped the pitch oscillations. A post flight inspection revealed damage to the rear fuselage bulkhead, wrinkling of the empennage skin and loss of paint. The airplane did not have any placarded airspeed restrictions or a verification of proper weight and balance calculations. The owner did not provide any documentation of compliance with the AD, or of proper balancing of the left ruddervator that had been previously exchanged and installed. The manufacturer reported that the empennage damage was typical of ruddervator flutter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8838A
- Reported as
- Beech B-35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-2493
- Airframe hours
- 3,045
- Engine
- Continental E-185-8, 196 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mager, Stuart
- Registered owner
- Mager, Stuart
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1991 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- PRB · Paso Robles, CA
- Destination
- WHP · Pacoima, CA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 23,000 total · 150 in this make and model · 22,800 as pilot in command · 180 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.