- Date
- September 17, 1997, 10:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ridgeland, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N729BLLouttit Celebrity
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970917044899A
- Case key
- 38336
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 in-flight failure of the upper wing spar wood resulting in a forced landing in swampy terrain.
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
While maneuvering the airplane through aerobatic loops, and after completing five successfully, the pilot said he was at the bottom of the sixth loop when he heard a 'loud noise.' He then saw the top fabric was ripped aft, and he could see the fabric aft of the trailing edge. He turned the airplane towards the airport in attempt to land on runway 03. The pilot stated that it took full engine power to maintain a 1,500 feet per minute rate of descent. He intended to land on the grass on the side of the runway, but could not make the field and was forced to land in a swamp with overgrown with vines, and 4 to 5 feet deep water. There was a 'G' meter on the airplane and the pilot said during the loop the meter was indicating 3.4. The meter was rated at 4.0 and was tested at 6.0. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the wood forward of both upper wing spars had failed.
Factual narrative
On September 17, 1997, about 1015 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Louttit Celebrity, N729BL, registered to a private owner, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91, local personal flight, had a structural failure while maneuvering near Ridgeland, South Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private-rated pilot was not injured. The flight had originated from Ridgeland Airport at 0950.
While maneuvering the airplane through aerobatic loops, and after completing five successfully, the pilot said he was at the bottom of the sixth loop when he heard a "loud noise." He then saw the top fabric was ripped aft, and he could see the fabric aft of the trailing edge. He turned the airplane towards the airport in an attempt to land on runway 03. The pilot stated that it took full engine power to maintain a 1,500 feet-per-minute rate of descent. He intended to land on the grass on the side of the runway, but could not make the field and was forced to land in a swamp with overgrown vines, and 4 to 5 feet deep water.
There was a "G" meter on the airplane and the pilot said during the loop the meter was indicating 3.4. The meter was rated at 4.0 and was tested at 6.0. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the wood forward of the wing spar had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N729BL
- Reported as
- Louttit Celebrity
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- RIL-1
- Airframe hours
- 132
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert I. Louttit
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 28, 1997 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- 3J1
- Airport
- 3J1 · Ridgeland, runway 3, 3,000 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 68
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 238 total · 127 in this make and model · 194 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.