What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft crashed while herding cattle, pilot suffered fatal inj.(.19) on October 23, 1998, at approximately 1552 central daylight time, a tevis Twinstar TA-2 two place ultralight, N4281Z, owned and operated by the pilot, was destroyed following a loss of control while in the traffic pattern at the Coulter airport, near Bryan, Texas. The non-instrument rated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the personal flight conducted under title 14 CFR part 91. The flight originated from the Coulter airport, about 3 minutes prior to the accident. Witnesses at the airport reported to local law enforcement personnel that they talked to the pilot earlier during the day, and the pilot had told them that he was going to take the "machine for a flight because he had a prospective buyer coming to look at it." The same witness stated that he was under the impression that the pilot had ordered a kit plane to replace the ultralight. The ultralight was observed taking off to the south from the taxiway (old runway 13). Witnesses explained that it is common practice for ultralights and gliders to operate from that taxiway in order to stay out of the way of conventional traffic. Another witness reported that she observed what appeared to be a shinny piece of metal trailing behind the ultralight. The witness further reported that it appeared to her that the ultralight was returning to the airport. The witness stated that "the nose of the ultralight bobbed up and down a couple of times" followed by the "airplane nosing over to the near vertical position." The witness stated that she lost sight of the ultralight as it descended behind trees north of the airport. The wreckage of the ultralight was located in a pasture approximately a mile north of the airport. Ground signatures at the accident site indicate that the ultralight impacted the ground in a slight right turn in a nose low attitude on a measured heading of 315 degrees. Paint transfers, chaffing and rubbing found on the rudder and right elevator confirmed that the elevator trim tab had separated from the elevator prior to ground impact. The mounting for the outboard bracket supporting one side of the trim tab was found to be loose. (.4) a witness observed a shinny piece of metal trailing behind the ultralight. The witness stated that `the nose of the ultralight bobbed up and down a couple of times' followed by the `airplane nosing over tot he near vertical position. `according to the manufacturer, the ultralight is not equipped with an elevator trim tab. Trim in the standard ultralight is accomplished by adjusting the spring tension on the elevator control cable from inside the fuselage cage near the control stick. The accident ultralight had been modified by the addition of a fabric covered trim tab surface on the trailing edge of the left elevator. The silver painted trim tab measured approximately 5 by 20 inches. Paint transfers, chaffing and rubbing found on the rudder and right elevator indicated that the elevator trim tab had separated from the trailing edge of the left elevator prior to ground impact. The mounting for the outboard bracket, supporting one side of the trim tab, was found loose. Paint transfer and chaffing on the trailing edge of the elevator indicated that the bracket had been loose prior to the accident. (-23) on the afternoon of October 23, 1998, while in the close proximity of Coulter field (cfd) in Bryan, Texas, the single engine amateur built aircr aft impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. An eye witness stated that "there was someting shiny flopping around at the back of the aircraft, the aircraft bobbed twice, like a cork in the water, then nose dived into the ground." The elevator trim tab was found to be unattached from its brackets and connected only by the trim tab control cable. Flight control continuity was confirmed. Fuel to the carburetors was confirmed. The aircraft was destroyed and the single engine land rated pilot was killed. The aircraft had received an inspection in accordance with 14 CFR, FAR 43 in April of 1998.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT CRASHED WHILE HERDING CATTLE, PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJ.(.19) ON OCTOBER 23, 1998, AT APPROXIMATELY 1552 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A TEVIS TWINSTAR TA-2 TWO PLACE ULTRALIGHT, N4281Z, OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, WAS DESTROYED FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT THE COULTER AIRPORT, NEAR BRYAN, TEXAS. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE COULTER AIRPORT, ABOUT 3 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.WITNESSES AT THE AIRPORT REPORTED TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL THAT THEY TALKED TO THE PILOT EARLIER DURING THE DAY, AND THE PILOT HAD TOLD THEM THAT HE WAS GOING TO TAKE THE "MACHINE FOR A FLIGHT BECAUSE HE HAD A PROSPECTIVE BUYER COMING TO LOOK AT IT." THE SAME WITNESS STATED THAT HE WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE PILOT HAD ORDERED A KIT PLANE TO REPLACE THE ULTRALIGHT. THE ULTRALIGHT WAS OBSERVED TAKING OFF TO THE SOUTH FROM THE TAXIWAY (OLD RUNWAY 13). WITNESSES EXPLAINED THAT IT IS COMMON PRACTICE FOR ULTRALIGHTS AND GLIDERS TO OPERATE FROM THAT TAXIWAY IN ORDER TO STAY OUT OF THE WAY OF CONVENTIONAL TRAFFIC. ANOTHER WITNESS REPORTED THAT SHE OBSERVED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SHINNY PIECE OF METAL TRAILING BEHIND THE ULTRALIGHT. THE WITNESS FURTHER REPORTED THAT IT APPEARED TO HER THAT THE ULTRALIGHT WAS RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT. THE WITNESS STATED THAT "THE NOSE OF THE ULTRALIGHT BOBBED UP AND DOWN A COUPLE OF TIMES" FOLLOWED BY THE "AIRPLANE NOSING OVER TO THE NEAR VERTICAL POSITION." THE WITNESS STATED THAT SHE LOST SIGHT OF THE ULTRALIGHT AS IT DESCENDED BEHIND TREES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. THE WRECKAGE OF THE ULTRALIGHT WAS LOCATED IN A PASTURE APPROXIMATELY A MILE NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. GROUND SIGNATURES AT THE ACCIDENT SITE INDICATE THAT THE ULTRALIGHT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A SLIGHT RIGHT TURN IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE ON A MEASURED HEADING OF 315 DEGREES. PAINT TRANSFERS, CHAFFING AND RUBBING FOUND ON THE RUDDER AND RIGHT ELEVATOR CONFIRMED THAT THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB HAD SEPARATED FROM THE ELEVATOR PRIOR TO GROUND IMPACT. THE MOUNTING FOR THE OUTBOARD BRACKET SUPPORTING ONE SIDE OF THE TRIM TAB WAS FOUND TO BE LOOSE. (.4) A WITNESS OBSERVED A SHINNY PIECE OF METAL TRAILING BEHIND THE ULTRALIGHT. THE WITNESS STATED THAT `THE NOSE OF THE ULTRALIGHT BOBBED UP AND DOWN A COUPLE OF TIMES' FOLLOWED BY THE `AIRPLANE NOSING OVER TOT HE NEAR VERTICAL POSITION. `ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER, THE ULTRALIGHT IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AN ELEVATOR TRIM TAB. TRIM IN THE STANDARD ULTRALIGHT IS ACCOMPLISHED BY ADJUSTING THE SPRING TENSION ON THE ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLE FROM INSIDE THE FUSELAGE CAGE NEAR THE CONTROL STICK. THE ACCIDENT ULTRALIGHT HAD BEEN MODIFIED BY THE ADDITION OF A FABRIC COVERED TRIM TAB SURFACE ON THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE LEFT ELEVATOR. THE SILVER PAINTED TRIM TAB MEASURED APPROXIMATELY 5 BY 20 INCHES. PAINT TRANSFERS, CHAFFING AND RUBBING FOUND ON THE RUDDER AND RIGHT ELEVATOR INDICATED THAT THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE LEFT ELEVATOR PRIOR TO GROUND IMPACT. THE MOUNTING FOR THE OUTBOARD BRACKET, SUPPORTING ONE SIDE OF THE TRIM TAB, WAS FOUND LOOSE. PAINT TRANSFER AND CHAFFING ON THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE ELEVATOR INDICATED THAT THE BRACKET HAD BEEN LOOSE PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. (-23) ON THE AFTERNOON OF OCTOBER 23, 1998, WHILE IN THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF COULTER FIELD (CFD) IN BRYAN, TEXAS, THE SINGLE ENGINE AMATEUR BUILT AIRCR AFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE. AN EYE WITNESS STATED THAT "THERE WAS SOMETING SHINY FLOPPING AROUND AT THE BACK OF THE AIRCRAFT, THE AIRCRAFT BOBBED TWICE, LIKE A CORK IN THE WATER, THEN NOSE DIVED INTO THE GROUND." THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB WAS FOUND TO BE UNATTACHED FROM ITS BRACKETS AND CONNECTED ONLY BY THE TRIM TAB CONTROL CABLE. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED. FUEL TO THE CARBURETORS WAS CONFIRMED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE SINGLE ENGINE LAND RATED PILOT WAS KILLED. THE AIRCRAFT HAD RECEIVED AN INSPECTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH 14 CFR, FAR 43 IN APRIL OF 1998.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.