S a f e t y W ir e
Figure 1—Te two fractured propeller shafs, as received. Te lef side shaf had completely fractured at the forward weld, while the right side
shaf was fractured but still attached in the same location.
Figure 2—Te af fracture surface of the failed forward weld on the lef side propeller shaf tube, as received.
Welds Are Crucial
NTSB [Accident Report] CEN11FA528
Editor's Note: The following report is reprinted from a National
Transportation Safety Board review of an accident involving a
Wright Flyer Model B that resulted in the death of the two test
pilots. Portions of this report not directly related to the cause
of the accident have been deleted for the sake of brevity.
These deletions are indicated by ellipses (…) in the text.
History of Flight
On July 30, 2011, about 1045 Eastern Daylight Time, a Wright
B Flyer experimental amateur-built airplane, N453WB,
30
Vol.2 No.3 / March 201 3
impacted terrain during a forced landing near Springfield, Ohio. The two commercial pilots sustained fatal
injuries. The airplane sustained substantial wing and
fuselage damage. The airplane was registered to and
operated by Wright B Flyer Inc. under the provisions of
14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a test flight.
Visual flight rules (VFR) conditions prevailed for the
flight, which did not operate on a VFR flight plan. The
local flight originated from the Springfield-Beckley
Municipal Airport (SGH), near Springfield, Ohio, approximately 1008.