Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 accident near San Diego, California, March 15, 2019
On March 15, 2019, a 1975 Great Lakes 2T-1A-2, registered N101GL, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near San Diego, California (Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fracture of the aileron hinge strap due to fatigue crack propagation, which resulted in substantial damage to a wing rib aft of the spar at the outboard aileron cutout. Contributing to the accident was inadequate maintenance inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2019
- Place
- San Diego, California · Montgomery-Gibbs Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Great Lakes 2T-1A-2, built 1975 · all 2T-1A-2s on the register
- Registration
- N101GL · registry record · serial 0714
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 5 minutes after taking off, the pilot observed that the left upper aileron had come loose from the inboard hinge. The pilot returned to the departure airport and landed uneventfully. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that a wing rib aft of the spar at the outboard aileron cutout was substantially damaged. Examination of the aileron hinge strap fracture surfaces revealed crack arrest marks and thumbnail-shaped patterns on the fracture surfaces, which emanated from both the top and bottom surfaces of the hinge strap. The fracture surfaces were consistent with asymmetric reverse-bending fatigue crack propagation. The fatigue cracking propagated from the top and bottom surfaces through almost the entire cross-section of the hinge strap. The pilot reported that while there were no inspection criteria from the manufacturer relative to the hinge straps, all hinge straps were inspected as part of each annual inspection.
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
What happened, in order
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Flight control sys malf/fail during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Aileron control system › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,146 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 960 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,412 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 2018; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-B1G6 (piston); 2,412 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYF San Diego CA at 11:56 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28R, 4,598 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR19LA114.