Bellanca 8KCAB accident near West Bend, Wisconsin, April 24, 1990
On April 24, 1990 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registered N2976R, was destroyed in an accident near West Bend, Wisconsin. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INFLIGHT FAILURE OF THE RIGHT WING STRUT-TO-SPAR ATTACHMENT FITTING DUE TO FATIGUE INITIATED BY IMPROPER WELDING TECHNIQUES INVOLVING INADEQUATE POST-WELD COOLING CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 1990 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- West Bend, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N2976R · no longer on the register · serial 624-80
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT DURING AN INSTRUCTIONAL AEROBATIC FLIGHT. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT WING'S LIFT STRUT-TO-WING SPAR ATTACHMENT FITTING HAD FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE PROGRESSION IN BOTH SIDE PLATES OF THE FITTING. THE INITIATION AREAS WERE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE ENDS OF TWO WELDS. IN THE WELD HEAT AFFECTED ZONE, THE MICROSTRUCTURE TRANSITIONED FROM A SPHEROIDIZED PEARLITE REGION NEAR THE BASE METAL INTO A COARSE TEMPERED MARTENSITE REGION ADJACENT TO THE FUSION ZONE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 25,600 as pilot in command; 22,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,775 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 1990; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-H1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gran-Aire, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MWC Milwaukee WI at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from MWC, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.