Amateur-built WITTMAN W-8 TAILWIND accident near Jamestown, North Dakota, December 12, 1999
On December 12, 1999 at about 6:30 pm local time, a amateur-built WITTMAN W-8 TAILWIND, registered N654, was destroyed in an accident near Jamestown, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the wing spar failure due to its inadequate construction by the owner/builder.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 12, 1999 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jamestown, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WITTMAN W-8 TAILWIND WITTMAN W-
- Registration
- N654 · registry record · serial 269
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident airplane was destroyed during an in-flight separation of the right wing and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain. The airplane was constructed by the owner and was certified as an experimental/amateur-built airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration. The inboard 15-inches of the right wing spar was sent to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Product Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, for examination. According to an examination report, the accident wing spar was constructed of Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis). The report stated, 'It appears that the bolt holes that were drilled through the spars to accept the 1/4-inch bolts were not all drilled perpendicular to the spar's outer surfaces.' Examination of the second hole from the inboard end, 'suggests that this particular hole was drilled twice to make the bolt for this connection fit.' The report stated, '...the holes that are on either side of the spar are not evenly spaced. There is also considerable difference in the diameter of the middle two holes relative to the diameter of the outer two holes.'
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 119 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 10, 1999; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A3B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Norcross MN at 5:30 pm
- Destination: JMS ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from JMS, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI00LA043.