Scott GLASS GOOSE N96GG

Summary

On 2 August 1996 at about 17:36 local time, a Scott GLASS GOOSE registered N96GG was involved in an accident near Aubrey, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 August 1996 at 17:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Aubrey, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.2999, -96.9794

Aircraft

Scott GLASS GOOSE

Registration

N96GG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake Dallas → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96LA331

Nobody was injured.

The owner/builder's design change resulting in in-flight flutter of the flaperon, which led to the fuel tank rupture and separation of the flaperon.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The experimental airplane was on its fifth flight. The pilot reported that about 15 minutes into the accident flight the airplane 'experienced flutter and began loosing altitude.' A few seconds before the forced landing, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that the airplane was controllable until the loss of engine power. The airplane impacted the ground in a 'yawed' attitude and tumbled, coming to rest in an inverted position. During the final approach for the forced landing, the upper right flaperon had departed the aircraft approximately 300 yards before the impact site. According to the pilot, who was also the builder of the airplane, he believed the flutter to be the result of his 'increasing the size of the flaperons from the designer's original design without a corresponding increase in the strength of the control system elements.' Contributing to this was the fact that the flaperons had not been balanced. Postcrash examination of the airplane revealed that the in-flight flutter had caused the upper right wing's fuel tank to rupture, and fuel had been spilled down the right side of the airplane. The fuel selector at the time of the accident was on the 'Right Upper' tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.