Incident Overview
Date: Tuesday 17 September 1963
Aircraft Type: PZL MD-12
Owner/operator: PZL Mielec
Registration Number: SP-PAL
Location: near Bialobrzegi –
ÿ Poland
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Component Affected: Tail control surfacesTail control surfaces
Category: Accident
A PZL MD-12, a prototype aircraft first flown in 1959, crashed during a test flight due to flutter of tail control surfaces, resulting in the loss of five crew members. The flight was conducted to measure hull pressure distribution for optimal static pressure sensor positioning.A PZL MD-12, a prototype aircraft first flown in 1959, crashed during a test flight due to flutter of tail control surfaces, resulting in the loss of five crew members. The flight was conducted to measure hull pressure distribution for optimal static pressure sensor positioning.
Description
The PZL MD-12 was a Polish four-engined short-range passenger plane that first flew in 1959. The prototype, SP-PAL, was destroyed when it crashed during a test flight, killing the crew of five. The airplane performed a flight to measure the pressure distribution on the hull in order to select the optimal position of the static pressure sensor. Flutter of tail control surfaces caused the plane to crash. The MD-12 program was stopped and the airplane was not taken into production.
Source of Information
http://www.smil.org.pl/ptl/wyklady/06_MD-12.pdfhttp://www.smil.org.pl/ptl/wyklady/06_MD-12.pdfPrimary Cause
Flutter of tail control surfacesFlutter of tail control surfacesShare on:
