- Date
- May 10, 1984, 12:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Sugar Loaf Key, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N487MMooney M-18C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840510016509A
- Case key
- 30992
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft was observed making several passes over a friends house. At the end of the third pass during, a climbing left turn, the right wing separated from the acft. Inspection of the wreckage revealed wood rot in the main wing spar. The last known inspection for wood and glue joint deterioration was performed in 1982 by the previous owner.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N487M
- Reported as
- Mooney M-18C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 241
- Airframe hours
- 837
- Engine
- Continental A65-8-12, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stephen C. Forris
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1984 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- EYW · Key West, FL
- Destination
- FXE · Ft.Lauderdale, FL
- Airport
- 06
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
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,664 total · 129 in this make and model · 4,254 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 24,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EYW, 10 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.