Fisher Celebrity accident near Chandler, Arizona, June 8, 2002
On June 8, 2002 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Fisher Celebrity, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N8205H, was destroyed in an accident near Chandler, Arizona. It was a personal 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
failure of the wing spars and the in-flight separation of the aircraft wing due to the builder's inadequate manufacture of this experimental aircraft. Also causal was the current owner/pilot's continued flight with known mechanical discrepancies.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2002 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fisher Celebrity, amateur-built
- Registration
- N8205H · registry record · serial AVI001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, both of the left wings of the amateur built experimental biplane separated in flight. The airplane fuselage was a metal frame, and the empennage and wings were fabric covered wood. The pilot had contacted a friend, who was also constructing a Celebrity, a few weeks before the accident concerning loose fabric on the airplane's wings. The friend told the pilot not to fly the airplane until the loose fabric issue had been addressed. According to the friend, the pilot washed the airplane, let it dry in the sun, and noted that the loose fabric tightened up. The pilot believed that the loose fabric issue had been resolved. Various wing components were examined and compared with the building instructions and plan drawings. The examination revealed fracture features indicating that the wings failed in a positive overload event. No evidence of preexisting cracks or deteriorated wood was found. However, the comparison with the design revealed that the construction of the spars did not comply with their design drawings. In particular, the spars did not contain stiffener blocks adjacent to the upper and lower caps, and the filler blocks ended abruptly in a vertical line instead of tapering to the upper and lower caps. The filler blocks were thinner than specified in the plans and occupied 50 percent of the space between the spar caps instead of all the void. The filler blocks were also shorter than plan specification and did not taper according to the plan. Both of these conditions would reduce the load carrying capacity of the wing, especially in compression. The failure location was primarily at the outboard end of the filler blocks. No material defects were found during the examination.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 65 hours in all; 24 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 5, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,230 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A&C65 Series (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P19 Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from CHD, 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.