- Date
- May 29, 1990, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bemidji, MN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3204Rollins-Bowers FLY Baby 1A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900529017769A
- Case key
- 34987
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 wing attachment bolts were not installed resulting in inflight wing separation.
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
Shortly after takeoff, the homebuilt acft, crashed into trees. There were no witnesses to the accident. Post accident investigation revealed the absence of the right wing retaining pins. The wreckage pattern indicated that the right wing had separated in flight, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent. No mechanical malfunctions or fuel supply shortage was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3204
- Reported as
- Rollins-Bowers FLY Baby 1A (FLY BABY 1)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1R
- Airframe hours
- 895
- Engine
- Continental C-75, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Heitzinger, Ronald
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 20, 1989
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 100 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BJI, 8 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.