Piper PA-18 accident near Jacksonville, Arkansas, February 25, 1989
On February 25, 1989 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N7580D, was destroyed in an accident near Jacksonville, Arkansas. 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
SEVERE CORROSION OF THE LEFT FORWARD WING LIFT STRUT WHICH RESULTED IN THE IN-FLIGHT SEPARATION OF THE LEFT WING. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS INADEQUACY OF THE APPLICABLE SERVICE BULLETIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 1989 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N7580D · no longer on the register · serial 18-5874
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWO WITNESSES HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE ACFT AS IT WAS IN FLT. THEY LOOKED UP & NOTED THE LEFT WING OF THE ACFT HAD FAILED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT SPUN TO THE GND & CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE LEFT FORWARD LIFT STRUT HAD FAILED, APRX 6 INCHES FROM WHERE IT WAS ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED THE INSIDE OF THE STRUT HAD BECOME CORRODED & THE STRUT HAD FAILED IN AN AREA WHERE ITS WALL HAD CORRODED TO A KNIVE EDGE (LESS THAN 0.001 INCH). THE THICKNESS OF THE NON-CORRODED PORTION OF THE WALL WAS 0.38 INCH. A CHEMICAL TEST OF THEINSIDE SURFACE SHOWED THE PRESENCE OF A CORROSION INHIBITOR (VAL-OIL) IN THE NON-CORRODED AREAS. HOWEVER, NO INHIBITOR COULD BE FND WHERE SEVERE CORROSION HAD OCCURRED. TWO FAINT LINES RESEMBLING WATER MARKS WERE FND IN THE STRUT. LOG BOOKENTRIES SHOWED THAT AD 77-03-08 & PIPER SVC BULLETIN #528B HAD BEEN COMPLIED WITH. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOODWAS POSITIVE FOR ALCOHOL (0.04%), BUT THERE WAS NO INDCN THAT THIS WAS RELATED TO THE STRUT FAILURE.
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: 15,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 16, 1989; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Scott Aero Service INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Perry AR at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from LIT, 22 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.