Boeing STEARMAN PT-17 N56920

Summary

On 24 July 2001 at about 15:30 local time, a Boeing STEARMAN PT-17 registered N56920 was involved in an accident near Anniston, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 July 2001 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Anniston, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Annistion Metro (ANB)

Coordinates

33.7167, -85.8792

Aircraft

Boeing STEARMAN PT-17

Registration

N56920

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anniston → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL01FA093

2 people died.

The inadvertent activation of the flight control gust locks by the pilot rated passenger that resulted in the loss of control inflight. Contributing was the pilot in commands failure to follow the airplane's pre-flight inspection check list.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to witnesses, the airplane was circling a golf course and then began to climb, shortly after climbing to an undetermined altitude, the airplane went into a nose down slow spin and impacted into a stand of trees. On July 22, 2001, the other two owners of the airplane had inspected the control surface lock (gust Lock) by moving it from the lock/unlock position several times. The reason for the inspection was in preparation for the upcoming annual inspection. According to the owners, they could not recall if they had stowed it in the unlock position when they had finished their inspection. During the course of flight control examination it was found that the handle for the operation of the control surface lock, which secures the rudder, ailerons and elevator, was installed in each cockpit, and was found in the locked position. The locking handle in the forward cockpit area was found separated from its mounting bracket. When placed in its proper orientation to the fracture surface it was found to be in the locked position. Injuries sustained by the pilot rated passengers left arm were consistant with the damage to the forward control lock. The aft control lock was found intact and in the down and locked position. According to the Pilots Flight Operating Instructions, during pre-flight inspection, the control lock should be in the lock position during startup and taxi, and disengaged and stowed into the unlock position just prior to takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.