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19960504009259A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Namer HARVARD 2 · Lafayette, LA · May 4, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 4, 1996 · 12:33 local
Place
Lafayette, LA
Airport
Lafayette Regional
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N2755Z
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW96FA200
Reported as
Namer HARVARD2
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
N2755ZRegistration cancelled Jul 2, 2013 · North American HARVARD 2S/N 2755Airframe modelNorth American HARVARD 2Engine modelPratt & Whitney R1340 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Performing aerobatic maneuver, left wing struck ground in a left turn. Crashed and burned. (-23) on may 4, 1996, at 1233 CDT, a north American harvard mk 11, N2755Z, registered to and operated by h-trif holding, inc., crashed following a loss of control while performing aerobatics at an air show at the Lafayette Regional Airport, Lafayette, Louisiana. The airplane was destroyed and the airline transport-rated pilot received fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under title 14 CFR part 91 and originated from the airport approximately 13 minutes before the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight and a flight plan was not filed. Review of video footage of the accident taped by air show spectators revealed that the airplane made a low pass on a magnetic heading of about 220 degrees, pulled up, and entered a right aileron roll. As the airplane reached the inverted position, the nose dropped and the airplane began descending while continuing to roll to the right. The airplane impacted the ground upright with the left wing low on a magnetic heading of about 196 degrees.

As the FAA filed it

PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVER, LEFT WING STRUCK GROUND IN A LEFT TURN. CRASHED AND BURNED. (-23) ON MAY 4, 1996, AT 1233 CDT, A NORTH AMERICAN HARVARD MK 11, N2755Z, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY H-TRIF HOLDING, INC., CRASHED FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE PERFORMING AEROBATICS AT AN AIR SHOW AT THE LAFAYETTE REGIONAL AIRPORT, LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED AND THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT-RATED PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 AND ORIGINATED FROM THE AIRPORT APPROXIMATELY 13 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE FLIGHT AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. REVIEW OF VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE ACCIDENT TAPED BY AIR SHOW SPECTATORS REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE MADE A LOW PASS ON A MAGNETIC HEADING OF ABOUT 220 DEGREES, PULLED UP, AND ENTERED A RIGHT AILERON ROLL. AS THE AIRPLANE REACHED THE INVERTED POSITION, THE NOSE DROPPED AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN DESCENDING WHILE CONTINUING TO ROLL TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND UPRIGHT WITH THE LEFT WING LOW ON A MAGNETIC HEADING OF ABOUT 196 DEGREES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB FTW96FA200Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportLafayette, LAfailure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed and/or altitude, while performing aerobatic flight.May 4, 1996 · Destroyed