What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
10/04/2016 The FAA was notified that N76S crashed in a rice field near Hitchcock, TX.
The aircraft was located in a small, tree-lined canal adjacent to a rice field. The aircraft was mainly intact. The fuselage had compression damage indicative of a stall/spin prior to impact with the ground. The aircraft fuselage and main wings were resting in very soft mud. The surviving pilot was interviewed at the hospital. The pilot stated they had just completed steep turn training. The aircraft was near the houston hobby class b airspace so they turned around towards galveston. The pilot remembers the instructor saying "lets do some stalls." He has no memory of anything after that. At one point during the interview he did recall being in a spin. The police obtained a video from a local fisherman showing the aircraft in a flat counterclockwise spin prior to impacting the ground behind a tree line.
Inspection of the aircraft on scene showed the flight controls appeared to have continuity. The yoke had been cut to extract the survivor. There was a large amount of fuel released at the crash site due to both wing fuel tanks rupturing.
As the FAA filed it
10/04/2016 THE FAA WAS NOTIFIED THAT N76S CRASHED IN A RICE FIELD NEAR HITCHCOCK, TX.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED IN A SMALL, TREE-LINED CANAL ADJACENT TO A RICE FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS MAINLY INTACT. THE FUSELAGE HAD COMPRESSION DAMAGE INDICATIVE OF A STALL/SPIN PRIOR TO IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE AND MAIN WINGS WERE RESTING IN VERY SOFT MUD. THE SURVIVING PILOT WAS INTERVIEWED AT THE HOSPITAL. THE PILOT STATED THEY HAD JUST COMPLETED STEEP TURN TRAINING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NEAR THE HOUSTON HOBBY CLASS B AIRSPACE SO THEY TURNED AROUND TOWARDS GALVESTON. THE PILOT REMEMBERS THE INSTRUCTOR SAYING "LETS DO SOME STALLS." HE HAS NO MEMORY OF ANYTHING AFTER THAT. AT ONE POINT DURING THE INTERVIEW HE DID RECALL BEING IN A SPIN. THE POLICE OBTAINED A VIDEO FROM A LOCAL FISHERMAN SHOWING THE AIRCRAFT IN A FLAT COUNTERCLOCKWISE SPIN PRIOR TO IMPACTING THE GROUND BEHIND A TREE LINE.
INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT ON SCENE SHOWED THE FLIGHT CONTROLS APPEARED TO HAVE CONTINUITY. THE YOKE HAD BEEN CUT TO EXTRACT THE SURVIVOR. THERE WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF FUEL RELEASED AT THE CRASH SITE DUE TO BOTH WING FUEL TANKS RUPTURING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.