Sukhoi SU-29 accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, September 1, 1999
On September 1, 1999 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Sukhoi SU-29, registered N52PB, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight failure of the right aileron due to fatigue cracking in the attachment structure of the right inboard aerodynamic compensator, which resulted in a loss of control, a forced landing, and subsequent impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 1999 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sukhoi SU-29 · all SU-29s on the register
- Registration
- N52PB · no longer on the register · serial 72-03
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot been doing aerobatic snap rolls. After approximately 10-15 snaps he began another. As he pulled on the stick he '...felt the ailerons brake loose.' He recovered from the snap at 2,500 feet agl. The airplane started a 20 degree to 30 degree steep descending turn to the right. He attempted to right the airplane with back stick and left rudder to no avail. He elected to make a controlled landing in a turn. About 600 feet agl the right wing went down to 90 degrees the nose then went down the same till impact with the ground. At no time did he have any directional or aileron control of the airplane. Laboratory examination of the inboard sections of the right aileron, the inboard aerodynamic compensator (spade) from the right aileron, and the outboard aerodynamic compensator from the left aileron, revealed, the in-flight loss of control was due to fatigue cracking and the subsequent fracture of the actuator lever attaching the right aileron to the control rod. In addition, the left aileron was cracked and a portion of this spar had been missing for some time. The fatigue cracking in the actuator lever from the right aileron and the rupture of the aft spar in the left aileron were precipitated by the fatigue cracking in the attachment structure of the inboard spade from the right aileron and the outboard spade from the left aileron.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 332 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 24, 1999; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vendeneyev M-14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWO Hollywood FL at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from FXE, 10 miles away
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.