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Aftermath: Unforeseen Circumstances

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Multiple aircraft accidents, including a Cessna Skymaster wing failure and a Beech Baron Vmc demonstration mishap, were attributed to complex interactions between various Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) modifications.
  • A significant contributing factor was the lack of clear guidance from the FAA and STC holders for installers to assess and account for the cumulative effects of multiple STCs on aircraft performance, limitations, and structural integrity.
  • These unresolved interactions led to critical issues such as misleading airspeed indicator markings (e.g., Vmc, maneuvering speed) and abnormal structural fatigue in the accident aircraft.
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In February 2010, a CESSNA T337G Skymaster made a low pass over the runway at Farmingdale, New Jersey. As it pulled up, a six-foot piece of the right wing broke away; the ensuing crash, before the eyes of friends and relatives for whose benefit the pass was being made, killed all five aboard.

In August of the same year, in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, a Beech Baron crashed into a house. The pilot-owner of the Baron and a flight instructor died, and the house was destroyed by fire.

Peter Garrison

Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.

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