Lidster WITTMAN TAILWIND W-8 N14VK

Summary

On 23 June 2002 at about 22:30 local time, a Lidster WITTMAN TAILWIND W-8 registered N14VK was involved in an accident near Mesquite, Texas, 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.

Date

23 June 2002 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesquite, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.7469, -96.5306

Aircraft

Lidster WITTMAN TAILWIND W-8

Registration

N14VK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesquite → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA187

1 person died.

The in-flight separation of the outboard portion of the left wing due to the failure of the wing spar resulting from the builder's improper installation of a wing that did not meet the drawing specifications.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The homebuilt airplane was destroyed following an in-flight separation of the left wing in level flight, and the subsequent uncontrolled flight into terrain. The outboard 2 feet of the left wing with the left wing spar was found approximately 300 yards from the main wreckage. The NTSB Metallurgist examination of the wing revealed fracture features indicating that the main spar failed in an overload event. The fracture on the left wing appeared to initiate at the root end, and the root fractures were created by compression loads, indicative of upward aerodynamic loading. No evidence of preexisting cracks or deteriorated wood was found and the spars were manufactured from the specified material. The comparison with the design revealed that the wings were 16 inches (2 ribs voids) short and the location and angle of the wing support strut had been adjusted to account for the shorter wing. The misalignment of the strut attachment fittings and the root attachment fittings on the spar suggest that the holes had been drilled before the wing was fitted for the aircraft. The location of the remaining root attachment hole suggest that the wing was built for a different aircraft and installed on the accident aircraft. The effect of the improper wing, wing overall length, improper attachment at the wing strut locations, and improper root configuration and attachments on the wing failures is unknown. However, since the fractures appear to have started at the root, the out-of-specification features associated with the root may have had the most effect. The airplane was built from 1995 to 1999. On December 2, 1999, the FAA Registration Certificate was issued to the builder/pilot. There were no builder or maintenance records available to the Safety Board, and the history of the left wing and spar could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.