McCarty WITTMAN W-8 TAILWIND N654

Summary

On 12 December 1999 at about 18:30 local time, a McCarty WITTMAN W-8 TAILWIND registered N654 was involved in an accident near Jamestown, North Dakota, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 December 1999 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Jamestown, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

46.9096, -98.6902

Aircraft

McCarty WITTMAN W-8 TAILWIND

Registration

N654

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Norcross → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00LA043

2 people died.

the wing spar failure due to its inadequate construction by the owner/builder.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident airplane was destroyed during an in-flight separation of the right wing and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. The airplane was constructed by the owner and was certified as an experimental/amateur-built airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration. The inboard 15-inches of the right wing spar was sent to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Product Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, for examination. According to an examination report, the accident wing spar was constructed of Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis). The report stated, 'It appears that the bolt holes that were drilled through the spars to accept the 1/4-inch bolts were not all drilled perpendicular to the spar's outer surfaces.' Examination of the second hole from the inboard end, 'suggests that this particular hole was drilled twice to make the bolt for this connection fit.' The report stated, '...the holes that are on either side of the spar are not evenly spaced. There is also considerable difference in the diameter of the middle two holes relative to the diameter of the outer two holes.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.