Burton FLY BABY N101LX

Summary

On 4 April 2007 at about 17:38 local time, a Burton FLY BABY registered N101LX was involved in an accident near Arlington, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 April 2007 at 17:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Arlington, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.3186, -112.7506

Aircraft

Burton FLY BABY

Registration

N101LX

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Buckeye → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07LA090

1 person died.

The pilot exceeding the design stress limits of the aircraft while maneuvering in intentional aerobatics.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed the airport for a local personal flight in the amateur built experimental-category airplane. About 25 minutes after takeoff, the airplane was observed flying in an easterly direction at an undetermined altitude. The witness reported hearing the engine slow down and then speed up. Seconds later, the witness heard "what sounded like an explosion" followed by the airplane falling to the ground in multiple pieces. The witness was located approximately 1 mile from where the wreckage came to rest. Post accident examination of the wreckage revealed that the right wing's forward and aft solid flying wires, turnbuckles and respective wire anchor attachment brackets remained intact, however the attachment brackets were separated from the forward and aft spar assemblies. The four through bolts (AN3 3/16-inch-diameter) associated with the forward brackets were fractured along the bolt shank near the bolt head. The bolts were necked down and were bent near the fracture points; the fracture surfaces were angular. Only two of the four through bolts associated with the aft bracket were recovered and similar findings were noted; the bolts were necked down and the fracture surfaces were angular. The builder's instruction manual for the airplane recommends AN3 (3/16-inch-diameter) anchor attach bracket bolts for standard operations and AN4 (1/4-inch-diameter) anchor attach bracket bolts if aerobatics are intended to be performed in the airplane. The specified anchor attachment bracket bolts (both AN3 and AN4) range in length from 5-1/2-inches to 6-3/4-inches. A personal friend of the pilot reported that about 2 weeks before the accident, the pilot completed a flight in the accident airplane. Upon returning from the flight, the pilot stated that he had completed a "slow roll." The pilot stated the airplane performed well during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.