AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1B

Full Narrative

On August 17, 2026, about 1446 central daylight time, an Aviat Aircraft Inc A-1B airplane, N299CA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pilot Grove, Minnesota. The two pilots received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial photography flight.
The pilot in the rear seat stated they were conducting an aerial photography flight and had flown for about 5 ½ hours that day. During the flight, the front seat pilot was manipulating the flight controls and noted that the airplane was not responding normally. They observed that the left aileron had partially detached from the wing and the outboard end was hanging down. The front seat pilot executed an emergency landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane nosed over and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the empennage.
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left outboard aileron hinge bracket was fractured. The airplane was retained for further examination.
A review of NTSB records revealed that the airplane was involved in a similar accident in 2017 involving an inflight failure of the left outboard aileron hinge bracket assembly.