20010414007369A

(-23)On April 14, 2001, at 1451 CDT, a fairchil PT-19A tandem seat, tail wheel equipped airplane, N58123, registered to the American airpower hertiage flying museum of Midland, Texas, and operated by the confederate airforce of Midland, Texas, was destroyed during a collision with the ground shortly after take off from runway 16 at the Midland International Airport, Midland, Texas. The commercial pilot received fatal injuries and his pilot-rated passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 code of federal regulations part 91 personal flight. (.4) history of flight: on April 14, 2001, at 1451 central daylight time, a fairchild PT-19A tandem seat, tailwheel equipped airplane, N58123, registered to the American airpower heritage flying museum of Midland, Texas, and operated by the confederate airforce of Midland, Texas, was destroyed when it impacted the ground shortly after takeoff from runway 16R at the Midland International Airport, Midland, Texas. The commercial pilot received fatal injuries and his pilot-rated passenger received minor injuries. Visual met eorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 code of federal regulations part 91 personal flight. According to transcripts of the pilot's radio transmissions with the Midland control tower, the pilot requested that he wanted to execute a right turn out after takeoff to fly over the confederate airforce's hangar during his departure. The tower acknowledged his request and cleared him for a "no delay" intersection departure as a Boeing 737 was on a three mile final. An air traffic control specialist located in the tower stated that he observed the airplane take the "wrong" route to the runway and "appeared" to be "at a faster taxi rate than normal." After take off, he observed the airplane climb out to the right and it "appeared to be at a slower airspeed than normal." During the turn, the "wings rocked back and forth a couple of times" and then the airplane made a "hard left turn to the ground." In an interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the passenger, who was seated in the aft cockpit and who was a rated pilot, stated that the aircraft run-up and takeoff were "normal." He stated that as the airplane passed over the ramp in a climbing right turn, "a downdraft hit the airplane." He could not recall the altitude at the time, but "remembered looking down at the roof of the tower" and that the airplane was still in a climbing attitude when "we started rolling to the left." The next instant, the airplane was "going ninety degrees nose down when we hit the ground." He stated that he heard the engine throughout the flight. Another witness who was standing on the ramp adjacent to the accident site, reported that he saw the airplane heading west and it "looked like it was in trouble, and then, it was in my opinion, stalling." The airplane then turned to the south and "went into a nose dive from one hundred to two hundred feet."