Sukhoi SU-29 N52PB

Summary

On 1 September 1999 at about 13:30 local time, a Sukhoi SU-29 registered N52PB was involved in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 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.

Date

1 September 1999 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.0105, -80.4601

Aircraft

Sukhoi SU-29

Registration

N52PB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hollywood → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA99LA242

1 person was seriously injured.

an in-flight failure of the right aileron due to fatigue cracking in the attachment structure of the right inboard aerodynamic compensator, which resulted in a loss of control, a forced landing, and subsequent impact with the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot been doing aerobatic snap rolls. After approximately 10-15 snaps he began another. As he pulled on the stick he '...felt the ailerons brake loose.' He recovered from the snap at 2,500 feet agl. The airplane started a 20 degree to 30 degree steep descending turn to the right. He attempted to right the airplane with back stick and left rudder to no avail. He elected to make a controlled landing in a turn. About 600 feet agl the right wing went down to 90 degrees the nose then went down the same till impact with the ground. At no time did he have any directional or aileron control of the airplane. Laboratory examination of the inboard sections of the right aileron, the inboard aerodynamic compensator (spade) from the right aileron, and the outboard aerodynamic compensator from the left aileron, revealed, the in-flight loss of control was due to fatigue cracking and the subsequent fracture of the actuator lever attaching the right aileron to the control rod. In addition, the left aileron was cracked and a portion of this spar had been missing for some time. The fatigue cracking in the actuator lever from the right aileron and the rupture of the aft spar in the left aileron were precipitated by the fatigue cracking in the attachment structure of the inboard spade from the right aileron and the outboard spade from the left aileron.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.