McCulloch MONERAI "S" N54MS

Summary

On 5 July 1987 at about 18:50 local time, a McCulloch MONERAI "S" registered N54MS was involved in an accident near Springfield, Vermont, 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 July 1987 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Springfield, Vermont, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

McCulloch MONERAI "S"

Registration

N54MS

Category

Glider

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manchester → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC87DNC07

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 MONERAI 'S' (N54MS, A PWRD GLIDER) EXPERIENCED AN INFLT FAILURE OF THE LEFT WING SPAR & CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT WAS BEING OPERATED IN EXCESS OF ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT OF 450 LBS. THE PLT OF AN UNPOWERED MONERAI SAID HE & 3 OTHERS (INCLUDING THE PLT OF N54MS) WERE FLYING IN A THERMAL WHEN HE NOTED A SUDDEN, SHARP 'UP-GUST.' HE DESCRIBED THIS 'UP-GUST' AS BEING STRONGER THAN ANY HE HAD EVER EXPERIENCED IN 5 YRS OF FLYING HIS GLIDER. HE HAD SEEN N54MS IN THE SAME THERMAL, BUT WAS NOT OBSERVING IT WHEN THE ACDNT OCCURRED. A GROUND WITNESS SAW N54MS DESCENDING OUT OF CONTROL WITH THE APPEARANCE OF BOTH WINGS POINTING UPWARD. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED THE LEFT WING SPAR HAD FAILED FROM OVERLOAD.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.