Speyer AVID AMPHIBIAN N118A
22 November 1991 · San Ysidro, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 22 November 1991 at about 18:24 local time, a Speyer AVID AMPHIBIAN registered N118A, operated by James Speyer, was involved in an accident near San Ysidro, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:24
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Ysidro, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.5499, -117.0392
- Aircraft
- Speyer AVID AMPHIBIAN
- Registration
- N118A
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- James Speyer
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Diego → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX92LA050
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE PILOT/BUILDER TO FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED AIRFRAME MODIFICATION PROCEDURE TO PREVENT THE INFLIGHT LOSS OF A FLAPERON DUE TO FLUTTER. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS IN INFLIGHT SEPARATION OF THE WING WHEN THE DESIGN LIMITS OF THE AIRFRAME WERE EXCEEDED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS CONDUCTING FLIGHT TESTS ON A NEWLY MANUFACTURED EXPERIMENTAL, AMATEUR BUILT AIRPLANE. WHILE ORBITING OVER AN AIRPORT, THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND WAS OBSERVED DESCENDING IN A LEFT SPIRALLING DIVE. THE LEFT FLAPERON AND LEFT WING SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE. THE PILOT, WHO WAS WEARING A PARACHUTE, ATTEMPTED TO BAIL OUT OF THE AIRPLANE AT LOW ALTITUDE. THE PARACHUTE FAILED TO SUFFICIENTLY OPEN DUE TO THE LOW ALTITUDE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE SEPARATED FLAPERON DISCLOSED CYCLIC OVERLOAD AND OVERTRAVEL ATTRIBUTED TO FLUTTER. FLAPERON COUNTER WEIGHTS WERE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO PREVENT FLUTTER. THE PILOT ELECTED NOT TO INSTALL THE COUNTER WEIGHTS BECAUSE IT WOULD IMPOSE AN ADDITION OF WEIGHT, AND THE PILOT FELT THAT THEY WERE NOT NEEDED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |