Beechcraft F35 N4257B

Summary

On 25 March 2002 at about 01:30 local time, a Beechcraft F35 registered N4257B, operated by Ronnie A. McMurray, was involved in an accident near Amarillo, Texas, United States. One person was 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

25 March 2002 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Amarillo, Texas, United States

Coordinates

35.2192, -101.7058

Aircraft

Beechcraft F35

Registration

N4257B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ronnie A. McMurray

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Clovis → Borger

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

FTW02LA129

Nobody was injured.

Flutter due to the improper balance of the ruddervator, which resulted in structural damage to the aft fuselage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while in level cruise flight at 140 knots indicated airspeed, at an altitude of 5,500 feet mean sea level (msl), the airplane encountered "clear air turbulence." The pilot stated that at the time of the accident, the airplane autopilot system was engaged, and his hands were not on the cockpit controls. During the accident, the airplane "was suddenly thrust nose high and vertical." The pilot then "pushed the nose [of the airplane] over," and recovered control of the airplane from the unusual attitude. The pilot continued the flight to his intended destination and landed without incident. Examination of the airplane revealed that the aft fuselage exhibited extensive skin wrinkling and tearing between the fuselage station (FS) 233.5 and FS 256.9 bulkheads. The left fuselage side exhibited a compression wrinkle extending from the bottom of the FS 256.9 bulkhead diagonally up and forward toward the top of the FS 233.5 bulkhead. The right fuselage side exhibited a compression wrinkle extending from the top of the FS 256.9 bulkhead diagonally down and forward toward the bottom of the FS 233.5 bulkhead. The bottom skin exhibited a compression wrinkle that extended from the middle of the FS 256.9 bulkhead forward and outward toward FS 233.5 bulkhead. The right ruddervator was 20.98 inch-pounds static underbalanced. According to the manufacturer, the static underbalance weight range is 16.8 to 19.8 inch pounds.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.