Mitchell A-10 UNREG

Summary

On 7 April 1983 at about 01:48 local time, a Mitchell A-10 registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Tulare, 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

7 April 1983 at 01:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Tulare, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Mitchell A-10

Registration

UNREG

Category

Ultralight

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 103: Ultralight

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

LAX83FU001

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 ULTRALIGHT WAS ON A DEMONSTRATION FLT. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT MADE A PASS DOWN THE RWY, THEN HAD TURNED DOWNWIND AT 400 TO 500 FT, WHEN WITNESSES HEARD A LOUD BANG OR CRACK & SAW THE WINGS OF THE VEHICLE FOLD. THE ULTRALIGHT THEN ENTERED A SPIRAL & CRASHED IN A CANAL. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE WING HAD FOLDED DOWNWARD. COMPRESSION BUCKLING HAD OCCURRED AT THE WING CENTER SECTION. ALSO, THE MYLAR SKIN WAS FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE TOP & BOTTOM OF THE WING CENTER SECTION AT THE BONDED ATTACH AREAS. ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER, LOSS OF THE MYLAR SKIN ON THE TOP OF THE WING WOULD RESULT IN AN AFT SHIFT IN THE CENTER OF PRESSURE & CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO PITCH FORWARD. WITNESSES THOUGHT THAT THE WINGS HAD FOLDED UPWARD, BUT THE INVESTIGATION VERIFIED THAT THEY FAILED IN A NEGATIVE MODE. AFTER THIS OCCURRENCE, THE MYLAR MATERIAL ON THE MITCHELL A-10 VEHICLES WAS REPLACED WITH CECONITE COVERING & WAS RIVETED IN PLACE WITH ALUMINUM BATTENS.ALTHOUGH THE PROTOTYPE HAD BALANCE WTS, THEY HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM PRODUCTION MODELS TO ELIMINATE WT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.