# Accident 19980712016372A: Cvac BT15, Traer, IA, July 12, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 12, 1998, 10:03 local time
- Place: Traer, IA
- Airport: Traer Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Collision: Midair collision, second aircraft
- Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.1904° N, 92.4605° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.1904&lon=-92.4605&mi=10
- Aircraft: N70035 (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CVAC BT15
- Reported engine: PWA R985AN1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,260 total, 150 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98FA244](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98FA244) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980712016372A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) AIRCRAFT LANDED TRAER, IA AIRPORT ON RUNWAY 17, WAS IN PROCESS OF TAXI TO TIE DOWN AREA WHEN AN AMATEUR-BUILT AIRCRAFT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING OFF FROM RUNWAY 17. AMATEUR-BUILT AIRCRAFT ENGINE STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. PILOT STARTED A LEFT HAND TURN AND THEN MADE A STEEP RIGHT TURN BACK TO THE RUNWAY WHEN THE NOSE WENT DOWN AND STRUCK THIS AIRCRAFT. PILOT OF THIS AIRCRAFT SUFFERED SERIOUS HEAD INJURIES. AIRCRAFT INCURRED FIRE DAMAGE AND SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. (.4) THE EXPERIMENTAL KITFOX HAD DEPARTED AND ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, 'THE KITFOX WAS SLOW AND HAD A DEFINITE NOSE-UP PITCH.  MY VERY FIRST THOUGHT WHEN I SAW THE KITFOX WAS THAT THE PILOT WAS, FOR SOME REASON, DEMONSTRATING SLOW FLIGHT.  BUT ALMOST AS QUICKLY, I RECOGNIZED AN IMPENDING STALL WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.  THE WINGS OF THE KITFOX WERE ROCKING BACK AND FORTH AND THE NOSE WAS YAWING.  THE KITFOX THEN STALLED AND COLLIDED WITH THE BT-13 HITTING THE BT-13 IN THE FRONT COCKPIT AREA AND RIGHT WING BEFORE IMPACTING THE GROUND. ... THE KITFOX CAME TO REST INVERTED AND BURST INTO FLAMES IMMEDIATELY AFTER IMPACT.'  ACCORDING TO THE PILOT OF THE BT-13, 'I WAS BEING DIRE                                              CTED BY [GROUND PERSONNEL] WHO WAS ON THE GROUND. THE KIT FOX HAD DEPARTED ON RUNWAY 17 AND STALLED OVERHEAD AT 50-65 FEET AND STRUCK MY AIRPLANE. MY PROP SLASHED THROUGH THE WRECKAGE OF THE AIRPLANE AND THEN SLAMMED THE KIT FOX TO THE GROUND WHERE IT EXPLODED.'

## Other aircraft in the event

- N494S, Amtr CLASSICIV: [Accident 19980712016371A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980712016371A)

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI98FA244](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98FA244), Jul 12, 1998: Vultee BT-15 (N70035), Traer, IA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the failure of the pilot of the Kitfox to maintain flying speed (Vs).

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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