Wogenstahl Wallace L WOGENSTAHL 281 MR N5281R

Summary

On 14 July 2010 at about 16:30 local time, a Wogenstahl Wallace L WOGENSTAHL 281 MR registered N5281R, operated by Wogenstahl Wallace L, was involved in an accident near Mount Cory, Ohio, United States. 2 people were 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

14 July 2010 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mount Cory, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

40.9367, -83.8222

Aircraft

Wogenstahl Wallace L WOGENSTAHL 281 MR

Registration

N5281R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Wogenstahl Wallace L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Middletown → Bowling Green

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA414

Nobody was injured.

The improper installation of the rivets at the aft fuselage bulkhead which resulted in the pilot not having full elevator control on landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he heard what sounded like an explosion in the rear of the airplane during cruise flight at 3,000 feet. He stated that the airplane then began to vibrate and it sounded as if something was banging on the airplane. The pilot reported he chose a street on which to make a precautionary landing and that the elevator was ineffective during the landing flare. The airplane touched down hard, bounced, and veered off the side of the road where it contacted two concrete posts prior to nosing over. A post accident inspection revealed that 26 of the Avex rivets on the aft bulkhead had failed/worked out allowing the several sections of the aft fuselage skin to pop up. The inspection also revealed that “smoking” was visible around some of the rivet holes indicating that the rivets were loose. When the pilot purchased the unfinished airplane, the riveting had already been accomplished. The kit manufacturer calls for Avex rivets to be used. The partial separation of the skin from the bulkhead allowed the empennage to flex which most could have resulted in the lack of elevator control during the landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.