- Date
- October 28, 1983, 15:35 local (19:35 UTC)
- Place
- Littleton, MA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6586VBellanca 17-31 ATC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19831028055869A
- Case key
- 35290
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
Ground witnesses observed the right wing separate in flight, the acft bank sharply to the right entered a spiral dive and crashed into a wooded lot in a residential area. Investigation revealed that the right wing separation occurred when the front spar lower wing attach fitting pulled free of the wing spar. The failure was the result of wood deterioration in the lower root end section of the right wing front spar.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6586V
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-31 ATC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31006
- Airframe hours
- 1,775
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1E5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ralph Markson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 3, 1983
- Departed
- BED
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,510 total · 2,200 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BED, 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.