19990123000669A

Acft was involved in a simulated dog fight with another north American T-6 acft when one of its engines quit. The acft went straight down,crashed, burned, and was destroyed. The 2 POB suffered fatal injuries, the other acft landed safely. Other circumstances are unknown. (.19)on January 23, 1999, at 1429 hours mountain standard time a north American T-6G, N2757G, crashed while performing aerobatics south of New River, Arizona. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and subsequent fire. The pilot and his passenger received fatal injuries. The aircraft was being operated by the pilot/owner when the accident occurred. The flight originated from phoenix, Arizona, at 1410 on the afternoon of the acciednt. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The tower controller at deer valley airport reported to FAA inspectors that the accident aircraft took off as a flight of two that afternoon. A letter of agreement (loa) was reported to be on file with the deer valley facility. The pilot of the second airplane made a radio call, notifying deer valley controller of the accident. He circled the accident site several times before returnign to the s KY ranch airport in carefree, Arizona. He was contacted by maricopa county sheriff's deputies. He reported that he had been in loose trail behind the accident aircraft when the accident aircraft began an unannounced maneuver. The pilot stated that accident pilot failed to complete the maneuver and crashed. A witness on the ground reported to FAA inspectors that he had been hunting rabbits near the accident site when he noticed the two aircraft flying in the vicinity. He stated that one aircraft began a maneuver that the described as a loop. He said the aircraft was completing the bottom portion of the maneuver when it struck the ground. Investigators noted that ground elevation at the accident site is approximately 2,000 feet MSL. A second ground witness who identified himself as a pilot, stated that both aircraft were flying at an altitude of approximately 1,000 to 1,200 feet AGL. Deer valley airport reported winds as variable at 4 knots and the sky as clear. The burned aircraft was located approximately 6 miles west of U.S. Interstate 17, about 150 feet south of New River road. The accident site was situated on level desert terrain with sparse vegetation. The engine, propeller, and mount assembly had separated from the fuselage and was located forward of the burn area. Both main wings were also separated from the fuselage and exhibited some fire damage. The fuselage had been completely engulfed by the fire and major portions had been ultimately consumed. The direction of travel at impact was 015 degrees. The distance from the initial ground scar to the forward most piece of wreckage was about 75 feet. Each occupant wore a 5-point restrain system and a parachute. The aircraft was recovered and secured by air transport, phoenix, Arizona, pending further examination by safety board investigators. (.4) while performing aerobatics between 3,000 and 4,000 feet AGL, the airplane impacted terrain. According to a second airplane pilot, who was in loose trail behind the accident aircraft, the maneuvers that were briefed by the accident pilot included, climbs, dives, turns, barrel rolls and loops. The second pilot said the accident aircraft began a high g pull-up. At the top of the climb, the aircraft nosed over and began a slight left turn. The left turn became a hard left that turned into a partial snap roll with a resulting spin to the left. About 3 to 4 turns had been observed when the aircraft began to recover. However, during the recovery, it struck the ground in a near level attitude and burst into flames. Winds were light and the sky was clear. Remains of rear control stick were not found in the female attachment fitting. The aircraft's POH states that the aircraft will lose 500 feet of altitude for each full spin rotation. Postaccident examination did not disclose any evidence of mechanical malfunction.