Franklin DRIFTER XP-503 N65DF

Summary

On 4 July 1988 at about 23:50 local time, a Franklin DRIFTER XP-503 registered N65DF, operated by Maxair Aircraft Corp., was involved in an accident near Lake Wales, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

4 July 1988 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Wales, Florida, United States

Coordinates

27.8999, -81.5808

Aircraft

Franklin DRIFTER XP-503

Registration

N65DF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Maxair Aircraft Corp.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA88FA213

2 people 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 OWNER RPRTD THE PLT FLEW THE ACFT AT A COMPANY PICNIC WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION. COMPANY PSNL SAW THE EXPERIMENTAL, AMATEUR BUILT ACFT TAKEOFF FROM THE COMPANY STRIP, THEN MANEUVER FOR A LOW PASS OVER THE AREA AT ABOUT 150 TO 200 FT AGL. SOME ESTIMATED THE PASS WAS MADE WITH A SPEED IN EXCESS OF 100 MPH. THE NEVER EXCEED (VNE) SPEED FOR THE ACFT WAS 95 MPH. AS THE ACFT APCHD THE AREA OF THE PICNIC, WITNESSES HEARD A BUZZING OR FLUTTERING SOUND. AS IT CONTINUED OVERHEAD, WITNESSES NOTED THE LEFT AILERON HAD BECOME DETACHED FROM THE OUTBOARD END & HAD FOLDED AFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE RGT AILERON FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNER. THE ACFT ENTERED A CLIMB & SOME WITNESSES NOTED A POWER REDUCTION AS IF THE PLT WAS TRYING TO SLOW THE ACFT. HOWEVER, THE ACFT ROLLED & ENTERED A DSCNT WHICH WAS DESCRIBED AS A STALL/SPIN CONDITION. RPRTDLY, THE PLT WAS AWARE OF THE ACFT'S TENDENCY TO ENCTR AILERON BUZZ OR FLUTTER WHEN ACCELERATED ABOVE 100 MPH.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.