What happened
On 31 May 2003, a Spirit of St Louis Replica (Ryan M1/M2 NYP), registration ES-XCL, was participating in the Coventry Airshow. Shortly after departing from Runway 23, the aircraft climbed to approximately 300 feet and began a gentle left turn before initiating a planned right turn back towards the airfield. During this maneuver, the right wing's leading edge rolled backward, and the wing subsequently folded upward relative to the fuselage. The aircraft entered a rapid right-hand spin and descended into an industrial compound located on the airfield boundary. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and one fatality among the crew.
The investigation
The AAIB examination of the wreckage revealed that the right wing's primary structure had failed. Specifically, the inboard section of the right wing had broken up, while the outer panel remained somewhat intact. The investigation focused on a tubular steel wishbone strut, which serves to support both the right landing gear shock-strut and the forward wing strut. Metallurgical analysis of this component showed that a fatigue crack had propagated through approximately 90% of the strut's cross-section.
Investigators also reviewed the aircraft's maintenance records and found that the inspection schedule lacked any requirements for checking the primary structure or flight controls. Furthermore, while the aircraft had been involved in a ground incident in 1998, there was no documented evidence of the specific weld repairs that were later identified as the source of the fatigue.