- Date
- May 14, 1990, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Washington, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N511BBeech A35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900514016559A
- Case key
- 34884
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 static balance of the ruddervators following rebuilding/repainting, which resulted in empennage flutter.
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
Flutter of the empennage occurred during flight in smooth air, resulting in substantial damage to the aft fuselage & bulkheads near the ruddervator attachment points. Post-accident tests disclosed the static balance of both ruddervators to be excessively tail-heavy. There was evidence that the ruddervator surfaces had last been painted, while still attached to the airplane. Thickness of the primer & paint exceeded the manufacturer's factory acceptance criteria.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N511B
- Reported as
- Beech A35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-1532
- Airframe hours
- 3,840
- Engine
- Continental E-185-8, 185 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edw. Winchester & John Bassett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 6, 1990 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- Augusta, KS
- Destination
- MO49 · Washington, MO
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
- 43
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,030 total · 150 in this make and model · 845 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 25 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 10 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.