Skymaster Down in Avon Park, FL

[Ernie Martin]

Aero-News Network (www.aero-news.net) is today reporting that the aircraft "apparently lost its right wing prior to impact according to the NTSB".

Ernie

[skymstr02]

Report: Civilian C337 On FL Mil-Mission Lost Right Wing

Tue, 23 Nov '10
Three Fatally Injured Supporting Military Exercise

A civilian airplane which went down last Wednesday while supporting a military exercise in Central Florida apparently lost its right wing prior to impact according to the NTSB.

http://www.aero-news.net/images/cont...w-0603b_tn.jpg

In a news conference last last week, NTSB spokesman Ralph Hicks said the right wing was found about and eight of a mile from the impact site. Tampa-area cable news station Bay News 9 reports that Hicks said both engines of the Cessna 337 separated from the fuselage when the aircraft impacted the ground. All three of those on board were fatally injured in the accident.
The accident is still in its preliminary stages. The civilian contractors onboard theaircraft were reportedly assisting in a military air-to-ground communications exercise.

*NOTE*
This makes me wonder if the limitations have been exceeded, and if they were, how many times and to what extent they were?
We don't know anything about the maintenance that the aircraft received, modifications that were made, legal or otherwise. O-2's typically only had two seats installed, so what was the center of gravity loading?

[WebMaster]

Another wing off?? OMG. Sorry for the folks on board, they didn't have a chance. Again, it makes you wonder what was happening, etc, etc. but OMG.

[hharney]

Wing came off in two pieces. Questioning fatigue of the airframe.


http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/nov...news-breaking/

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=ERA11FA066&rpt=p

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...18X74618&key=1

[Ernie Martin]

The first link, from Tampa Bay Online, questions whether the aircraft might have had the wing extensions that have led to wing failures and are the subject of a recent AD, but the picture seems to show no wing extensions.

I am researching the FAA's Service Difficulty Reports (SDRS) we compiled on structural matters for the SID analysis to see if we can determine how many hours on that airframe.

Ernie

[rhurt]

The wing appears to have separated at the rib just outboard of the tanks, where the wing extention AD says to look for smoking rivets.

[Roger]

I don't quite undertand it all. I keep flying my non modified skymaster within the maintenance, weight and speed parameters as provided in the POH and associated FAR's, and I simply can not make my wings fall off. I must not be trying hard enough !