Thu, Dec 22, 2005
Accident Claimed 20 Lives
(Editor's
Note: The following is the unedited text of the National
Transportation Safety Board's latest release concerning the
December 19 accident involving a Chalk's Ocean Airways Grumman
seaplane. While the probable cause of the accident has yet to be
released, it appears increasingly likely fatigue cracks in the
aircraft's main spar caused the right wing to separate from the
aircraft, sending the plane into the waters of Miami's Government
Cut shortly after takeoff.)
The National Transportation Safety Board has released photos
depicting fatigue cracks found on the separated wing of the
Chalk’s Ocean Airways plane that crashed into the water near
Miami Beach on Monday.
On Tuesday afternoon, the right wing of the aircraft was
recovered. The wing had separated at the inboard section, at the
wing/fuselage juncture. Safety Board engineers and metallurgists
agree that the signatures are consistent with fatigue fractures.
Portions of the wing are at the NTSB metallurgy laboratory in
Washington, DC.
As part of the investigation of this accident, which claimed 20
lives, the Safety Board will extensively examine the wing and other
structures in the coming days. The probable cause of this accident
has not been determined.
IMAGE 1: Overall view of the inboard end of the
right wing as it was recovered from the water. An unlabeled arrow
indicates the lower spar cap of the rear spar where fatigue
features were observed.
IMAGE 2: Closer view of the fracture surface at
the inboard end of the lower spar cap of the right wing rear spar.
Unlabeled arrows indicate the location of two offset drilled
holes.
IMAGE 3: Closer view of the fatigue region in
the horizontal leg of the lower spar cap of the rear spar.
Unlabeled brackets indicate fatigue origin areas at the surfaces of
the fastener hole, and dashed lines indicate the extent of the
fatigue region visible on the fracture surface.
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