Staudacher Aircraft, Inc. S-300D2 accident near Kenosha, Wisconsin, July 7, 2000
On July 7, 2000 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Staudacher Aircraft, Inc. S-300D2, registered N112KG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue failure of the rod end bearing and the separation of the aileron. A factor was the inadequate design change by the aircraft designer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2000 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kenosha, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Staudacher Aircraft, Inc. S-300D2
- Registration
- N112KG · registry record · serial 22
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a 1/2 snap roll when the left aileron departed the airframe. The aircraft was still controllable and an uneventful landing was made. The spherical rod end bearing that was used for the center aileron hinge had broken and a subsequent metallurgical was performed. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) examination revealed "... only iron and manganese consistent with plain carbon steel. There were no appreciable amounts of chromium, nickel, or molybdenum as might be expected with an AISI 4130 or AISI 8420 material." The report also states that the "... microstructure and hardness is typical of a normalized or annealed, medium carbon steel." The metallurgical report states that the rod end fracture was due to "... reverse bending fatigue (from cycling about its lateral axis) initiating at the root of the shank threads." The aircraft designer said that the accident aircraft had a different style rod bearing installed than the original design. The designer stated that he believed that the new rod end bearing shank was made of the same material and heat treat as the original. The specification for the original rod end bearing shows that the shank is to be made from AISI 4130 or AISI 8420 steel.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,430 hours in all; 309 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 3,047 as pilot in command; 679 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 393 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2000; 41 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-G1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENW at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 151°F (66°C), dew point 131°F (55°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from MKE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.