Amateur-built SEABIRD/PETREL accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, August 3, 1992
On August 3, 1992 at about 9:10 pm local time, a amateur-built SEABIRD/PETREL, registered N109SB, was destroyed in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
INADEQUATE QUALITY CONTROL DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS RESULTING IN THE IN-FLIGHT STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF THE TAILBOOM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1992 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SEABIRD/PETREL SEABIRD/PE
- Registration
- N109SB · registry record · serial 0035-B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BRAZILIAN MANUFACTURED AMPHIBIAN HOMEBUILT KIT AIRPLANE HAD NOT MADE ANY WATER LANDINGS OR TAKEOFFS PRIOR TO ITS ARRIVAL AT THE EAA FLY-IN. IT HAD BEEN PARKED IN A COVE ADJACENT TO A LAKE. SOMETIME DURING THE EVENING AND/OR EARLY MORNING THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE AIRPLANE BECAME PARTIALLY SUBMERGED WHILE MOORED DUE TO ROUGH WEATHER AND WATER. IT WAS BROUGHT CLOSE TO SHORE AND THE WATER REMOVED. PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT WITNESSES OBSERVED THE PILOT AND AN ASSOCIATE PULLING THE AIRPLANE ONTO SHORE BY THE TAILBOOM. DURING THE SECOND DAY OF FLYING, THE EMPENNAGE AND TAILBOOM ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE/HULL DURING A DESCENT. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE TAILBOOM WAS CONSTRUCTED WITH ONLY FOUR OF THE SIX REQUIRED CARBON FIBER LAMINATE PLIES. IN ADDITION, THE STRIPS UTILIZED TO HOLD THE TAILBOOM TOGETHER WERE ALSO MINUS ONE CARBON FIBER LAMINATE PLY. THE TAILBOOM CAME ASSEMBLED FROM THE KIT MANUFACTURER IN BRAZIL.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,771 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 1,638 as pilot in command; 334 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 13, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 993 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 532LC (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Seabird Aviation
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 9 knots, gusting 2
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:46 pm from OSH, 5 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.
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.