Pilot Debrief

Cessna 140 near Poplar Grove, IL — 2008-02-23

Final reportCHI08CA087
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Date
2008-02-23
Location
Poplar Grove, IL, USA
Airport
C77
Aircraft
Cessna 140
Registration
N3527V
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The left wing skin "fabric patch" separated from the wing ribs and spars for an undetermined reason.

NTSB narrative

The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that he was in a steep right turn when he heard a "thump" which seemed to come from the tail section of the airplane. He leveled the wings and realized that he was "holding extreme right rudder with the pedal depressed to about three-fourths of its full travel." The CFI flew back to the airport that was 10 miles away. During the final approach to landing, the CFI flew the tai wheel-equipped airplane to within 6 - 12 inches of the runway and let the airspeed bleed off prior to touchdown. He reported that he ran out of right rudder just as all three wheels touched down. The inspection of the airplane revealed that a large section of the left wing's fabric had separated from the airplane. Nine wing ribs plus the main and rear spars from wing station 58 to wing station 176 were visible as a result of the missing wing fabric. A review of the maintenance records indicated that on October 16, 2000, the left wing was repaired and a "fabric patch" was used to repair the wing's fabric.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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