Cullen/Roth FALCON XP N9939M
8 June 1991 · Sebastopal, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 8 June 1991 at about 17:49 local time, a Cullen/Roth FALCON XP registered N9939M, operated by William E. Cullen, was involved in an accident near Sebastopal, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:49
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sebastopal, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.3991, -122.8596
- Aircraft
- Cullen/Roth FALCON XP
- Registration
- N9939M
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- William E. Cullen
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Santa Rosa → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91LA254
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF THE AIRPLANE'S CANARD WING. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WHICH RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S PERFORMANCE OF AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE RIGGING OF HIS AIRPLANE WHICH DETERIORATED ITS FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD MODIFIED THE RIGGING OF HIS EXPERIMENTAL CATEGORY AIRPLANE'S CANARD WING, AND ALSO PERFORMED OTHER ADJUSTMENTS TO THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT INTENDED TO EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS MODIFIED AMATEUR BUILT AIRPLANE DURING THE TEST FLIGHT. THE PILOT CLIMBED TO 5000 FEET AGL, SLOWED TO 30 MPH AND ATTEMPTED TO TURN LEFT. THE AIRPLANE STALLED, ENTERED A SPIN AND THE WING FAILED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cullen/Roth FALCON accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jun 1990 | Cullen/Roth FALCON XP | Yountville, California, United States | Cullen, William E. | No injuries | - |
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 |