What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft crashed under unknown circumstances, the pilot/sole occupant suffered fatal injuries, the acft was destroyed. (.19)on February 28, 1999, approxiamtely 1015 central standard time, a keil jaeger d-ix amateur-built experimental airplane, N257JK, was destroyed when it impacted the ground in an uncontrolled descent near Santa Fe, Texas. The private pilot, who was the owner and builder of the single seat biplane, received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the title 14 crr part 91 personal flight that originated from the johnnie volk field airport in hitchcock, Texas, about 1000. One witness reported that he "heard a weird sound, turned around and noticed the left wing break off and plane flying like a rock." Another witness stated that she "heard the sounds of engine trouble, looked up (and) heard a pop." She further reported that "the wing was off and the plane was going straight down." According to the FAA inspector who responded to the scene of the accident, the left upper and lower wings of the biplane were found approximately 200 yards from the main wreckage. The upper left aileron was found an additional 60 to 70 yards from the left wings. The lower left aileron remained attached to the lower left wings. The fuselage with both right wings and the empennage attached came to rest in a nose down attitude with the engine buried approximately 5 feet into the ground. (.4) the amateur-built experimental biplane impacted the ground in a vertical attitude following the in flight separation of the right upper and lower wings. The right wings came to rest about 275 yards from the main wreckage. The right upper aileron separated from the right upper wing and came to rest about 65 feet from the right wings. Examination of the three fractured rod ends, which were used to attach the aileron to the wing, indicated that the rod ends failed as a result of overload. The right lower aileron remained attached to the right lower wing. The rod that connected the right upper and lower ailerons was not recovered; however, pieces of the rod remained bolted to each aileron. Visual examination of the fracture surfaces on the rod pieces revealed no evidence of fatigue cracking. The top and bottom aileron cables for the right upper aileron were separated, and the separated ends displayed a 'horsetail' appeara nce, indicative of overload failure. No evidence of contact between the aileron leading edges and the wing trailing edges was noted. The reason for the separation of the right upper aileron could not be determined. (-23)FTW99LA086
As the FAA filed it
ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE PILOT/SOLE OCCUPANT SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES, THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED. (.19)ON FEBRUARY 28, 1999, APPROXIAMTELY 1015 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A KEIL JAEGER D-IX AMATEUR-BUILT EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE, N257JK, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT NEAR SANTA FE, TEXAS. THE PRIVATE PILOT, WHO WAS THE OWNER AND BUILDER OF THE SINGLE SEAT BIPLANE, RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE TITLE 14 CRR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE JOHNNIE VOLK FIELD AIRPORT IN HITCHCOCK, TEXAS, ABOUT 1000. ONE WITNESS REPORTED THAT HE "HEARD A WEIRD SOUND, TURNED AROUND AND NOTICED THE LEFT WING BREAK OFF AND PLANE FLYING LIKE A ROCK." ANOTHER WITNESS STATED THAT SHE "HEARD THE SOUNDS OF ENGINE TROUBLE, LOOKED UP (AND) HEARD A POP." SHE FURTHER REPORTED THAT "THE WING WAS OFF AND THE PLANE WAS GOING STRAIGHT DOWN." ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSPECTOR WHO RESPONDED TO THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT, THE LEFT UPPER AND LOWER WINGS OF THE BIPLANE WERE FOUND APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE UPPER LEFT AILERON WAS FOUND AN ADDITIONAL 60 TO 70 YARDS FROM THE LEFT WINGS. THE LOWER LEFT AILERON REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE LOWER LEFT WINGS. THE FUSELAGE WITH BOTH RIGHT WINGS AND THE EMPENNAGE ATTACHED CAME TO REST IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE WITH THE ENGINE BURIED APPROXIMATELY 5 FEET INTO THE GROUND. (.4) THE AMATEUR-BUILT EXPERIMENTAL BIPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A VERTICAL ATTITUDE FOLLOWING THE IN FLIGHT SEPARATION OF THE RIGHT UPPER AND LOWER WINGS. THE RIGHT WINGS CAME TO REST ABOUT 275 YARDS FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE RIGHT UPPER AILERON SEPARATED FROM THE RIGHT UPPER WING AND CAME TO REST ABOUT 65 FEET FROM THE RIGHT WINGS. EXAMINATION OF THE THREE FRACTURED ROD ENDS, WHICH WERE USED TO ATTACH THE AILERON TO THE WING, INDICATED THAT THE ROD ENDS FAILED AS A RESULT OF OVERLOAD. THE RIGHT LOWER AILERON REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE RIGHT LOWER WING. THE ROD THAT CONNECTED THE RIGHT UPPER AND LOWER AILERONS WAS NOT RECOVERED; HOWEVER, PIECES OF THE ROD REMAINED BOLTED TO EACH AILERON. VISUAL EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURE SURFACES ON THE ROD PIECES REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE CRACKING. THE TOP AND BOTTOM AILERON CABLES FOR THE RIGHT UPPER AILERON WERE SEPARATED, AND THE SEPARATED ENDS DISPLAYED A 'HORSETAIL' APPEARA NCE, INDICATIVE OF OVERLOAD FAILURE. NO EVIDENCE OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE AILERON LEADING EDGES AND THE WING TRAILING EDGES WAS NOTED. THE REASON FOR THE SEPARATION OF THE RIGHT UPPER AILERON COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. (-23)FTW99LA086
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.