What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 10/23/2013 an FAA form 8020-9 was received by the houston flight standards district office (FSDO) of a single engine aircraft that crashed in the Galveston bay. This aircraft was identified as possibly being a North American P-51 mustang.
Inspectors were sent to the scene. The Galveston county sheriff marine division transported the inspectors to the crash site where two bodies had been recovered by local fishermen and then transported by the county medical examiner to shore. One occupant (later identified as the person in the back seat) had sustained much greater injuries than the other. The inspector and the county sheriff conducted a search for the remainder of the second occupant and any signs of wreckage.
The search identified a debris pattern approximately 2,000 feet x 800 feet centered at coordinates 29.08.365 n 95.07.182 w in six to seven feet of water. This was in the middle of the west end of Galveston bay near chocolate bay and san luis pass.
On 10/24/2013 examination of the parachutes and part of the rear seat were examined at the medical examiners office. The medical examiners report has not been released yet. The pilot had a properly attached and adjusted parachute harness the parachute canopy was deployed and the canopy and suspension lines were entangled around him when recovered in the water. The passenger had the parachute harness properly attached and adjusted. The rear seat bottom and parts of the rear seat side rails were still surrounding to the passenger the parachute canopy was deployed and the canopy and suspension lines were entangled around him when recovered in the water.. The parachute suspension lines were cut at the risers and the suspension lines and canopies were separated. The rear seat rails and seat pan were badly damages and showed tearing and shear forces at the seat harness attaching points, and the aircraft mounting points. The rear seat belt was still properly buckled and secured, although the ends were not attached to the seat pan or seat rails. The rip cord handle and cable were missing from both parachute harnesses.
On 10/28/2013 and 10/29/2013, t & t marine salvage was on scene recovering the aircraft wreckage.
The only large pieces of the aircraft found were:
The propeller hub with all four blades still attached but without the spinner;
The right wing from the main landing gear outboard to the tip of the wing, containing the right main landing gear but missing the wing flap;
The left wing from the point where the right wing was torn off to approximate 2/3RD distance to the tip of wing containing the left main landing gear but missing the leading edge and the wing flap;
The main portion of the empennage with approximately 1 foot of each of the horizontal stabilizers and 2 feet of the vertical stabilizer attached and missing the rudder and elevators.
Condition of the wreckage recovered from the crash appear to suggest that the aircraft impacted the water at a low angle and a very high speed (less that 15 degrees angle and airspeed in excess of 300 knots)
As the FAA filed it
ON 10/23/2013 AN FAA FORM 8020-9 WAS RECEIVED BY THE HOUSTON FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO) OF A SINGLE ENGINE AIRCRAFT THAT CRASHED IN THE GALVESTON BAY. THIS AIRCRAFT WAS IDENTIFIED AS POSSIBLY BEING A NORTH AMERICAN P-51 MUSTANG.
INSPECTORS WERE SENT TO THE SCENE. THE GALVESTON COUNTY SHERIFF MARINE DIVISION TRANSPORTED THE INSPECTORS TO THE CRASH SITE WHERE TWO BODIES HAD BEEN RECOVERED BY LOCAL FISHERMEN AND THEN TRANSPORTED BY THE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER TO SHORE. ONE OCCUPANT (LATER IDENTIFIED AS THE PERSON IN THE BACK SEAT) HAD SUSTAINED MUCH GREATER INJURIES THAN THE OTHER. THE INSPECTOR AND THE COUNTY SHERIFF CONDUCTED A SEARCH FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SECOND OCCUPANT AND ANY SIGNS OF WRECKAGE.
THE SEARCH IDENTIFIED A DEBRIS PATTERN APPROXIMATELY 2,000 FEET X 800 FEET CENTERED AT COORDINATES 29.08.365 N 95.07.182 W IN SIX TO SEVEN FEET OF WATER. THIS WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEST END OF GALVESTON BAY NEAR CHOCOLATE BAY AND SAN LUIS PASS.
ON 10/24/2013 EXAMINATION OF THE PARACHUTES AND PART OF THE REAR SEAT WERE EXAMINED AT THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS OFFICE. THE MEDICAL EXAMINERS REPORT HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET. THE PILOT HAD A PROPERLY ATTACHED AND ADJUSTED PARACHUTE HARNESS THE PARACHUTE CANOPY WAS DEPLOYED AND THE CANOPY AND SUSPENSION LINES WERE ENTANGLED AROUND HIM WHEN RECOVERED IN THE WATER. THE PASSENGER HAD THE PARACHUTE HARNESS PROPERLY ATTACHED AND ADJUSTED. THE REAR SEAT BOTTOM AND PARTS OF THE REAR SEAT SIDE RAILS WERE STILL SURROUNDING TO THE PASSENGER THE PARACHUTE CANOPY WAS DEPLOYED AND THE CANOPY AND SUSPENSION LINES WERE ENTANGLED AROUND HIM WHEN RECOVERED IN THE WATER.. THE PARACHUTE SUSPENSION LINES WERE CUT AT THE RISERS AND THE SUSPENSION LINES AND CANOPIES WERE SEPARATED. THE REAR SEAT RAILS AND SEAT PAN WERE BADLY DAMAGES AND SHOWED TEARING AND SHEAR FORCES AT THE SEAT HARNESS ATTACHING POINTS, AND THE AIRCRAFT MOUNTING POINTS. THE REAR SEAT BELT WAS STILL PROPERLY BUCKLED AND SECURED, ALTHOUGH THE ENDS WERE NOT ATTACHED TO THE SEAT PAN OR SEAT RAILS. THE RIP CORD HANDLE AND CABLE WERE MISSING FROM BOTH PARACHUTE HARNESSES.
ON 10/28/2013 AND 10/29/2013, T & T MARINE SALVAGE WAS ON SCENE RECOVERING THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE.
THE ONLY LARGE PIECES OF THE AIRCRAFT FOUND WERE:
THE PROPELLER HUB WITH ALL FOUR BLADES STILL ATTACHED BUT WITHOUT THE SPINNER;
THE RIGHT WING FROM THE MAIN LANDING GEAR OUTBOARD TO THE TIP OF THE WING, CONTAINING THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR BUT MISSING THE WING FLAP;
THE LEFT WING FROM THE POINT WHERE THE RIGHT WING WAS TORN OFF TO APPROXIMATE 2/3RD DISTANCE TO THE TIP OF WING CONTAINING THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR BUT MISSING THE LEADING EDGE AND THE WING FLAP;
THE MAIN PORTION OF THE EMPENNAGE WITH APPROXIMATELY 1 FOOT OF EACH OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS AND 2 FEET OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER ATTACHED AND MISSING THE RUDDER AND ELEVATORS.
CONDITION OF THE WRECKAGE RECOVERED FROM THE CRASH APPEAR TO SUGGEST THAT THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE WATER AT A LOW ANGLE AND A VERY HIGH SPEED (LESS THAT 15 DEGREES ANGLE AND AIRSPEED IN EXCESS OF 300 KNOTS)
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.