Stall / Spin · NTSB ERA12FA052
INTERPLANE S R O SKYBOY — Miami, FL
| Date | October 29, 2011 |
| Location | Miami, FL |
| Aircraft | INTERPLANE S R O SKYBOY |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-low-alt flying Aerodynamic stall/spin |
| Pilot age | 57 |
| Pilot total time | 2,200 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - F
What happened
Before the accident, the pilot had modified the airplane by installing vortex generators onto the airplane's wings. Following the installation, the pilot made an uneventful flight, and, shortly after, he departed on the accident flight. Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane, after a brief flight in the local area, flying directly over the airport at a very low speed. One witness reported that the airplane appeared to enter an aerodynamic stall and a left spin and then impacted the ground.
Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the left elevator trim tab upper control cable exhibited significant corrosion and had separated. A detailed examination of the cable and the separation fracture surfaces revealed the presence of significant, unabated corrosion, which had resulted in the cable losing an estimated 90 percent of its strength before ultimately failing in overload. However, it could not be determined whether the failure of this cable occurred before, or as a result of, the airplane's impact with terrain or, what effect, if any, the in-flight failure of this cable could have had on the controllability of the airplane. The wreckage examination did not reveal any other evidence of preimpact mechanical discrepancies or malfunctions that would have prevented normal operation of the engine and airframe components. No evidence was found indicating whether the pilot had intended to perform or had completed a structured flight test of the airplane's performance following the installation of the vortex generators in accordance with its operating limitations (outside of the single, 7-minute solo flight that immediately preceded the accident flight) before operating a flight with a passenger onboard.