Wittman O&O accident near Stevenson, AL
On April 27, 1995, a Wittman O&O (airplane) was involved in an accident near Stevenson, AL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 27, 1995
- Place
- Stevenson, AL
- Aircraft
- Wittman O&O · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.871°N, 85.829°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X03218
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 27, 1995, about 1210 central daylight time, a Wittman O&O (Ocala and Oshkosh) experimental airplane, N41SW, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, experienced an in-flight breakup about 7 miles south of Stevenson, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. The flight originated about 2 hours 40 minutes before the accident. The airplane was reported overdue on April 28, 1995, and was located on April 29, 1995. According to friends of the pilot, this was his annual return flight to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. One of the friends stated that he conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane, and did not discover any problems. According to another friend, the pilot had planned his flight to avoid flying through controlled airspace, and the need to establish radio contact. The flight departed without incident. No radio communication was reported between air traffic and the flight. At the approximate time of the accident, several local residents reported hearing an airplane in the vicinity of the accident site. These witnesses were located in a valley and on a mountain ridge; none of the witnesses actually saw the airplane in flight. Their accounts varied from hearing a high revving engine to hearing an explosion. One witness at the Stevenson Airport reported hearing a sonic boom, but did not see or hear a jet aircraft in the vicinity of the airport. According to Memphis Air Route Traffic
Probable cause
AILERON-WING FLUTTER INDUCED BY SEPARATION AT THE TRAILING EDGE OF AN UNBONDED PORTION OF WING FABRIC AT AN AILERON WING STATION. THE DEBONDING OF THE WING FABRIC WAS A RESULT OF IMPROPER INSTALLATION.
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Browse: Alabama
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
