Forensic Aviation Engineering - Anatomy of an In-Flight Breakup

Aviation safety has continually improved since the Wright Brothers flew at Kill Devil Hills.
Now, primarily due to excellent equipment and rigorous training, mainline commercial
aviation accidents are extremely rare. However, slightly over 1000 general aviation
accidents occur annually and about 15% of those accident result in fatalities. Often
following an accident, a lawsuit is filed claiming that the aircraft or one of its components
caused the accident. The various parties typically hire experts to analyze the accident
and explain what happened and why. Usually, the experts on opposing sides do not
agree on the cause of the accident, and it’s up to the jury to decide who is right. An
example of a general aviation accident, an in-flight breakup, in which the experts
disagreed as to the cause will be discussed in detail. The discussion will include
analysis of the aircraft wreckage, fundamental airplane fluid dynamics, trajectory
analyses, failure analysis, Air Traffic Control issues, and airplane performance.

Bob Winn is a mechanical/aeronautical forensic engineer and Principal Emeritus of
Engineering Systems Inc. (ESi). He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1991 after a 22-year career,                                                                                                      serving as an instructor pilot in four different Air Force aircraft, teaching aeronautical engineering at the USAF                                                                                  Academy, and serving as Chief Scientist of the USAF European Office of Aerospace                                                                                                                          Research and Development in London, England. Dr. Winn has been with ESI since 1994.                                                                                                                    During that time, he served as an expert witness on hundreds of aircraft                                                                                                                                                accidents involving aircraft from ultralights to airliners. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of                                                                                                  Aeronautics and Astronautics and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal
Aeronautical Society.