Beechcraft 35 N4523V
27 November 1996 · Lafayette, Georgia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 27 November 1996 at about 21:00 local time, a Beechcraft 35 registered N4523V was involved in an accident near Lafayette, Georgia, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lafayette, Georgia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Barwick Lafayette (9A5)
- Coordinates
- 34.6997, -85.2797
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 35
- Registration
- N4523V
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL97LA027
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
failure of maintenance personnel to balance the ruddervator assemblies after they had been reskinned and painted, which resulted in flutter and subsequent damage to the empennage.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Flutter of the empennage occurred during cruise flight. The pilot immediately reduced engine power, and the flutter subsided. Duration of the flutter was about three seconds. An examination of the empennage disclosed that the bulkhead at fuselage station (FS) 256.9 exhibited cracks at the four corners of the assembly. Also, buckling of the fuselage skin was noted adjacent to the damaged bulkhead. The ruddervators were removed from the airframe and balance checked in accordance with the Bonanza 35 Series Shop Manual. The left and right ruddervators exhibited static underbalance moments (trailing edge heavy) of 23.73 and 22.95 inch-pounds, respectively. According to the service manual, the required static underbalance range is 16.80 to 19.80 inch pounds. Both ruddervators had been reskinned (or replaced) and repainted. An unbroken paint seal around the screws (that attached the counterweights to the ruddervators) indicated that the counterweights had not been removed subsequent to repainting.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft 35 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Spokane, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 1996 | Beechcraft 35-33 | Brownsburg, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Jan 1996 | Beechcraft 35-A33 | Houston, Texas, United States | Ray's Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 1996 | Beechcraft 35-33 | Apple Valley, California, United States | Norman E. Nissen | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Apr 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Naperville, Illinois, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Feb 1996 | Beechcraft 35 | Griffin, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 1996 | Maule M-5 | Plains, Georgia, United States | Robert D. Campbell | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 1996 | Cessna 310D | Palmetto, Georgia, United States | Bruce D. Willis | No injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 1996 | Grumman G-164A | Edison, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 May 1996 | Cessna 172D | Vilarica, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 May 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Barbour Island, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jan 1996 | Cessna 150G | Social Circle, Georgia, United States | Dixie Jet Service | Fatal | 1 |