Chappel RATSREPUS 300 N889HC
25 May 1988 · Pontiac, Michigan, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 25 May 1988 at about 19:07 local time, a Chappel RATSREPUS 300 registered N889HC, operated by Harold R. Chappel II, was involved in an accident near Pontiac, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:07
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Pontiac, Michigan, United States
- Nearest airport
- Oakland/Pontiac (PTK)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Chappel RATSREPUS 300
- Registration
- N889HC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Harold R. Chappel II
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Pontiac → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI88DEC02
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
DESTRUCTIVE WING/AILERON FLUTTER IS SUSPECTED, BUT NOT SUFFICIENTLY SUBSTANTIATED THROUGH RESEARCH AND CALCULATIONS TO BE CITED AS THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS TESTING THIS EXPERIMENTAL ACROBATIC AIRCRAFT, MAKING A SECOND LOW PASS OVER THE RUNWAY WHEN A PORTION OF THE LEFT WING SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT, FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF THE LEFT AILERON, 1 1/2 ROLLS TO THE LEFT AND GROUND IMPACT. THE AIRFRAME TOTAL TIME WAS 4 HOURS. ON-SCENE INSPECTION REVEALED NO MASS BALANCE IN THE AILERONS. WITNESSES ESTIMATE SPEEDS AT OR ABOVE 150 MPH. A DESIGNATED ENGINEERING REPRESENTATIVE IN THE AREA OF FLUTTER AND VIBRATION STATED HE HAD RECOMMENDED THAT THE AIRSPEED BE LIMITED TO A MAXIMUM SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 135 MPH UNTIL GROUND VIBRATION TESTS WERE CONDUCTED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan 1988 | Cessna 172P | Jenison, Michigan, United States | Dave | No injuries | - |
| 4 Feb 1988 | Beechcraft A36 | Pontiac, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Oct 1988 | Piper PA-31-350 | Big Rapids, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Feb 1988 | Cessna 152 | Lansing, Michigan, United States | Carlson Aviation Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 11 Feb 1988 | Cessna 172F | Brighton, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Nov 1988 | Cessna 150J | Carson City, Michigan, United States | Vandenburg, Jerome A. | No injuries | - |