Pilot Debrief

Beech 35 near Batesville, AR — 2018-02-08

Final reportCEN18LA099
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Date
2018-02-08
Location
Batesville, AR, USA
Airport
BVX
Aircraft
Beech 35
Registration
N4654D
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

An in-flight control system flutter encounter during a turbulence encounter; the reason for the flutter could not be determined.

NTSB narrative

The v-tail-equipped airplane was descending from cruise flight when it encountered turbulence, which was followed by shaking from the tail of the airplane. The pilot reduced engine power and pulled back slightly on the yoke. According to the pilot, the shaking stopped, and the airplane seemed to operate normally for the rest of the flight. After landing, the pilot noticed damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed buckling and wrinkling to the aft fuselage skins. Control cable tension could not be determined because of the fuselage damage. The balance of the ruddervators was checked and found to be within the manufacturer's specifications. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the airplane encountered tail surface flutter in turbulent conditions.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Perform control cable tension inspections before the flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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