Miller TUFTS T-3-160 N1051K

Summary

On 6 July 1982 at about 16:10 local time, a Miller TUFTS T-3-160 registered N1051K, operated by Warren Tufts, was involved in an accident near Placerville, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

6 July 1982 at 16:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Placerville, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Miller TUFTS T-3-160

Registration

N1051K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Warren Tufts

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Placerville → Placerville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX82FVG28

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE HOME BUILT ACFT WAS OF THE PLT'S OWN DESIGN. IT WAS A 4 PLACE, LOW WING ACFT WITH A LARGE CANOPY & SMALLER VERT TAIL SURFACES AND WAS EQUIPPED WITH FLAPS, FOLDING WINGS & FIXED TAIL WHL GEAR. THE PLT/DESIGNER WAS TRYING A NEW CONCEPT OF LATERAL CONTROL BY USING "ROLLERONS" INSTEAD OF CONVENTIONAL AILERONS. THEY OPERATED SOMEWHAT LIKE SPOILERS ON A GLIDER. THE ROLLERONS WERE 2 FT LONG, 6 IN WIDE, INSTLD ON THE TOP & BOTTOM OF EACH WING AT THE TIPS. FOR A RGT TURN, THE RGT TOP ROLLERON WOULD MOVE UP 8 THE LFT BOTTOM WOULD MOVE DWN WHILE THE OTR 2 RMND IMMOBILE. FOR A HI SPD TAXI TEST, THE RUDDER & ELEVATORS WERE TUFTED WITH YARN TO SHOW AIRFLOW & AN ASSOCIATE FLWD TO OBSV. HE RPRTD THAT THE ACFT BCM AIRBORNE, VEERED OFF THE RWY, WENT DWN A STEEP EMBANKMENT, THEN CRASHED & BURNED. ANOTHER ASSOCIATE OF THE PLT RPRTD THAT WHEN HE TAXIED THE ACFT AT HI SPD, IT FELT LIKE IT WAS CROSS-CONTROLLED & THERE WAS A "DEAD SPOT" WHEN THE "ROLLERON" CONTROL WAS AT THE NEUTRAL POSITION.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.