Apex Aircraft CAP 10B accident near Gladewater, TX
On June 14, 2003, an Apex Aircraft CAP 10B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Gladewater, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 14, 2003
- Place
- Gladewater, TX
- Aircraft
- Apex Aircraft CAP 10B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.526°N, 94.978°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030618X00892
NTSB summary
1.0 HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 14, 2003, approximately 0910 central daylight time, a single-engine Apex Aircraft (formerly Avions Mudry et Cie) Cap 10B experimental exhibition airplane, N80DD, was destroyed when it impacted terrain following an in-flight separation of the left wing while maneuvering near Gladewater, Texas. The airplane was operated by the pilot/owner under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight. The flight originated from the Gladewater Municipal Airport (07F) at an undetermined time. The airplane was observed traveling southeast, at the bottom of an established aerobatic box (1,500 feet msl), when the left wing separated from the airplane. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, the airplane impacted the ground inverted, and the left wing was found between 1/8 and 1/4 mile north of the main wreckage. 1.1 PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. The commercial pilot certificate was issued on March 15, 2003. The pilot purchased the accident airplane in March 2000, and 240 hours of his 1,098 total flight hours were accumulated in the same make and model as the accident airplane. Review of the pilot's logbook revealed that as of May 2003, the pilot logged 127.3 hours of aerobatic flight time. He was issued a second-class medical certificate on May 14
Probable cause
The failure of the left wing, which resulted from progressive compressive fractures in the upper wooden spar cap. Contributing the accident was the difficulty in performing adequate inspections of the spar caps in an attempt to detect the compressive fractures.
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Browse: Texas
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
