Barackman Vans RV-6 N3891P

Summary

On 24 December 2000 at about 23:30 local time, a Barackman Vans RV-6 registered N3891P, operated by Neil L. Crotts, was involved in an accident near Springfield, Colorado, United States. 2 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.

Date

24 December 2000 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Springfield, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Springfield Municipal (8V7)

Coordinates

37.4002, -102.6104

Aircraft

Barackman Vans RV-6

Registration

N3891P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Neil L. Crotts

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Fe → Dodge City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN01LA034

Nobody was injured.

Total failure of the right hand flap control rod due to construction procedures/directives not being followed by the builder.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the airplane made a full flap approach to the runway, the pilot 'felt a bump,' the right flap retracted, and the airplane rolled abruptly to the right. The pilot added full power and left aileron but it had no effect. The airplane drifted off the right side of the runway, dragging the wing tip, then cartwheeled and nosed into the ground. Postaccident inspection revealed the right hand flap rod (p/n F-659) had failed, causing a split flap condition. The failed actuator rod was made of aluminum tubing threaded at each end. The pilot said, 'Wall thickness at the threaded ends is thin,' and the part should be made of steel. Vans Aircraft, Inc., said 'the failure was associated with poor workmanship rather than materials defect or structural design...the original builder had not enlarged the hole required in the fuselage large enough to prevent the rod from 'scraping' during flap extension. The continued scraping had eventually worn away the entire side of the rod and resulted in total failure.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.