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20010514010969A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Cvac BT-13A · Odessa, TX · May 14, 2001

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 14, 2001 · 13:50 local
Place
Odessa, TX
Airport
Bates Field Airport
Phase of flight
Go Round (Aborted VFR)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N66791
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW01FA117
Reported as
Cvac BT13A
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney R985AN1
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Pilot’s flight hours
4,450 total172 in this make and model17 in the last 90 days
N66791Registration cancelled Jan 8, 2002 · Convair BT-13AS/N 3336 · Built 1942Airframe modelConvair BT-13AEngine modelPratt & Whitney R-985 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23)Flight instructor was scheduled to provide transition training in a BT-13 to another confederate air force (caf) pilot member. They were observed orbiting Bates field and descending. The low pass on the field was downwind and may not have been aligned with runway 33. The witnesses said they saw the right wing was low and heard the engine power being applied before the right wing hit the ground. The aircraft started a ground loop, which was arrested when the right wing was torn off the airplane by a 6 inch diameter steel fence line pipe mounted in concrete. There was a small, postcrash fire in the engine which the witnesses put out by throwing sand dirt on it. This accident is consistent with a small/spin accidnet as a result of a delayed go-around from a simulated forced landing. The forced landing was probably not setup correctly resulting in a fnal approach that was downwind. (.4) the commercial pilot was undergoing his 7th hour of dual familiarization training in the airplane. The airplane approached the airport from the east, over flew the south end of the airport, and then executed a left teard rop turn to runway 34. According to witnesses at the airport, the airplane was on final approach to runway 34, approximately 150 feet AGL, when they heard power applied to the engine. Subsequently, the right wing dropped, the airplane impacted the ground, contacted a steel pole, and came to a stop upright. The witness accounts and ground scars are consistent with the airplane encountering a stall. One witness, who was located on the airport, reported that at the time of the accident the wind was from the south at 10 mph. Two minutes prior to the accident, two weather observation facilities that are located 7 miles northeast and 9 miles northwest of the accident site, reported wind from 200 degrees at 13 knots and gusting to 20 knots and wind from 210 degrees at 11 knots and gusting to 19 knots, respectively. The airframe and engine were examined and no pre-impact anomalies were noted that would have precluded their operation.

As the FAA filed it

(-23)FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS SCHEDULED TO PROVIDE TRANSITION TRAINING IN A BT-13 TO ANOTHER CONFEDERATE AIR FORCE (CAF) PILOT MEMBER. THEY WERE OBSERVED ORBITING BATES FIELD AND DESCENDING. THE LOW PASS ON THE FIELD WAS DOWNWIND AND MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ALIGNED WITH RUNWAY 33. THE WITNESSES SAID THEY SAW THE RIGHT WING WAS LOW AND HEARD THE ENGINE POWER BEING APPLIED BEFORE THE RIGHT WING HIT THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED A GROUND LOOP, WHICH WAS ARRESTED WHEN THE RIGHT WING WAS TORN OFF THE AIRPLANE BY A 6 INCH DIAMETER STEEL FENCE LINE PIPE MOUNTED IN CONCRETE. THERE WAS A SMALL, POSTCRASH FIRE IN THE ENGINE WHICH THE WITNESSES PUT OUT BY THROWING SAND DIRT ON IT. THIS ACCIDENT IS CONSISTENT WITH A SMALL/SPIN ACCIDNET AS A RESULT OF A DELAYED GO-AROUND FROM A SIMULATED FORCED LANDING. THE FORCED LANDING WAS PROBABLY NOT SETUP CORRECTLY RESULTING IN A FNAL APPROACH THAT WAS DOWNWIND. (.4) THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS UNDERGOING HIS 7TH HOUR OF DUAL FAMILIARIZATION TRAINING IN THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE APPROACHED THE AIRPORT FROM THE EAST, OVER FLEW THE SOUTH END OF THE AIRPORT, AND THEN EXECUTED A LEFT TEARD ROP TURN TO RUNWAY 34. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES AT THE AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE WAS ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 34, APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET AGL, WHEN THEY HEARD POWER APPLIED TO THE ENGINE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE RIGHT WING DROPPED, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND, CONTACTED A STEEL POLE, AND CAME TO A STOP UPRIGHT. THE WITNESS ACCOUNTS AND GROUND SCARS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERING A STALL. ONE WITNESS, WHO WAS LOCATED ON THE AIRPORT, REPORTED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE WIND WAS FROM THE SOUTH AT 10 MPH. TWO MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, TWO WEATHER OBSERVATION FACILITIES THAT ARE LOCATED 7 MILES NORTHEAST AND 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE, REPORTED WIND FROM 200 DEGREES AT 13 KNOTS AND GUSTING TO 20 KNOTS AND WIND FROM 210 DEGREES AT 11 KNOTS AND GUSTING TO 19 KNOTS, RESPECTIVELY. THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINE WERE EXAMINED AND NO PRE-IMPACT ANOMALIES WERE NOTED THAT WOULD HAVE PRECLUDED THEIR OPERATION.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB FTW01FA117Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportOdessa, TXthe pilot's failure to maintain the minimum required airspeed for flight, which resulted in a loss of control while performing a go-around. A contributing factor to the accident was the gusty tailwind condition.May 14, 2001 · Destroyed

Other reports on N66791 · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 19800907039999ARoll-Out (Fixed Wing) · Waco, TXPilot lost control of aircraft during roll-out when brake failed.Sep 7, 1980 · Substantial damage