Griffin STAR-LITE N124PK

Summary

On 5 October 1986 at about 17:15 local time, a Griffin STAR-LITE registered N124PK was involved in an accident near Raymond, Mississippi, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

5 October 1986 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Raymond, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

32.2604, -90.4191

Aircraft

Griffin STAR-LITE

Registration

N124PK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA87FA003

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 PLT HAD JUST COMPLETED BUILDING THE ACFT AND WAS ON THE INITIAL FLT. FAMILY MEMBERS WATCHED AS THE ACFT TOOKOFF AND CLIMBED OVER THE ARPT. THEY THEN OBSERVED PIECES FALLING FROM THE ACFT. THE ACFT ROLLED INVERTED AND CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE ELEVATOR BELL CRANK REVEALED THE PLT HAD MADE AN UNAPPROVED MODIFICATION TO THE CRANK DUE TO A CONTRUCTION ERROR BY THE PLT WHICH CONSISTED OF CUTTING THE BOTTOM OFF THE CRANK AND ATTACHING 2 STRIPS OF ALUMINUM TO THE CRANK WITH POP RIVETS. THE ELEVATORS AND STABILIZERS SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT IN FLT. THE UPPER AND LOWER HALVES OF THE LEFT ELEVATOR HAD SEPARATED AND AN EXAM REVEALED THE BONDING MATERIAL WAS STILL SOFT AND SITCKY TO THE TOUCH. THE DESIGNER OF THE ACFT STATED THAT FLUTTER WAS CREATED IN THE ELEVATORS BY THE MODIFICATION RESULTING IN FAILURE OF THE TAIL COMPONENTS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.