Caughran Terry FLIGHTSTAR II accident near Wake, VA
On January 14, 2016, a Caughran Terry FLIGHTSTAR II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Wake, VA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 14, 2016
- Place
- Wake, VA
- Aircraft
- Caughran Terry FLIGHTSTAR II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 37.565°N, 76.449°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160114X73526
Official records · ERA16FA089
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 14, 2016, about 1405 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Flightstar II, N82652, experienced an in-flight wing separation and impacted wooded terrain near Wake, Virginia. The sport pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Hummel Field Airport (W75) Saluda, Virginia, about 1355 en route to New Quarter Farm Airport (92VA) Gloucester, Virginia. According to a witness, he saw the airplane at an altitude of about 1,200 ft above ground level flying south toward Hartfield, Virginia. It appeared to be flying normally. He stated that he suddenly heard "a snap or a cracking sound," and then he saw left wing fold up. Within a second, the airplane went into a vertical counterclockwise spiral heading straight down. Additional witnesses described hearing the airplane engine and then a "loud pop" and seeing the airplane with a broken left wing as it descended vertically. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 64, held a sport pilot certificate and a repairman certificate with an inspection rating for the accident airplane. The pilot applied for his sport pilot certificate on October 7, 2010. He had never been issued, nor was he required to have, a Federal Aviation Administration medical certificate. A review of the pilot's logbooks that were recovered from the scene showed a total flight time of 570.4 hou
Probable cause
Failure of the left wing in flight due to compression loading from wing loads combined with preexisting damage.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
- Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
- Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
- Beech 200, Oct 24, 2004
- Piper PA-31-310, Nov 14, 1982
Browse: Virginia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
