Pilot Debrief

FISHER MICHAEL E CELEBRITY near Terrell, TX — 2013-03-04

Final reportCEN13LA186
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Date
2013-03-04
Location
Terrell, TX, USA
Aircraft
FISHER MICHAEL E CELEBRITY
Registration
N70785
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s design stress limits while performing aerobatic maneuvers.

NTSB narrative

Witnesses reported seeing the airplane performing a series of loops and rolls and then sections of the wings separating from the airplane before it descended and impacted terrain. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the wing failure initiated at the bottom of the right outboard forward wing strut. This failure allowed the right upper wing to rise, which placed an overload stress on the upper wing spar and bottom right wing. The top wing spar separated in the area left of the fuselage struts. The entire upper wing and lower right wing folded up and rearward and then separated from the airplane. All of the separations were consistent with overload failures, indicating that the pilot exceeded the airplane's design stress limits while performing aerobatic maneuvers.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided aerobatic maneuvers beyond aircraft limits.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 20 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents20

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