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20210804017289A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · North American T-6G · Starkville, MS · August 4, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 4, 2021 · 15:25 local
Place
Starkville, MS
Phase of flight
Unknown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N7197C
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN21FA355
Reported as
North American T-6G
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney R1340 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
N7197CRegistration cancelled May 9, 2022 · North American T-6GS/N 49-2897 · Built 1946Airframe modelNorth American T-6GEngine modelPratt & Whitney R1340 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.

8/04/2021 2100Z 1600CST, event id: 676574, a North American T-6G, N7197C, was substantially damaged when it impacted wooded terrain approximately one mile southwest, (lat: 33.30?56?n lon: 88.41?43?w) of mccharen field airport (M83) in Starkville, Mississippi for unknown reasons. The pilot and one passenger was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions was reported and no flight plan was filed for the planned local flight that departed from mccharen field airport (M83) in west point, MS.

8/05/2021 - Personnel from this office performed an onsite examination. An approximate 50-foot debris path was observed with the aircraft pointed in a northeast direction. The debris path did not have any evidence of cut tree or branches at a descending angle and ended with the main wreckage. There was not any evidence of fuel. The main wreckage came to rest upright, the vertical stabilizer and rudder remained attached. Both wings exhibited damage to the leading edges and fuel tanks with the right wing separated and the left wing partially separated. One propeller blade was bent and the second blade was straight consistent with the aircraft engine was not producing power.

8/06/2021 - The cockpit area was contaminated with hazardous material that provided farther inspection of the wreckage.

8/10/2021 ? Personnel from this office received information the aircraft wreckage was recovered byprivacy data omitted for farther inspection ? Contact privacy data omitted.

8/11/2021 ? Personnel from this office received plots from the assigned NTSB inspector of cafb radar returns that show the accident aircraft with an altitude as low as 500 ft. MSL and a ground speed as slow as 24 KTS.

9/15/2021 ? Personnel from this office received a copy of the assigned NTSB inspector notes and witness videos from a witness of the fly over of the accident aircraft verifying the witness statement of 9/13/2021. The notes stated, ?the witness was facing the west. Low over the tress, made 3 passes. First one was very low, second one he tried the smoke, brown puff, then on the third pass it worked, smoke was on. Boyfriend was there, took video and snap chat, thought it might have been doing a loop?.

9/23/2021 ? Personnel from this office made contact with personnel with privacy data omitted who have not received every additional information.

As of 9/23/2021 ? No additional information.

As the FAA filed it

8/04/2021 2100Z 1600CST, EVENT ID: 676574, A NORTH AMERICAN T-6G, N7197C, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT IMPACTED WOODED TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE SOUTHWEST, (LAT: 33.30?56?N LON: 88.41?43?W) OF MCCHAREN FIELD AIRPORT (M83) IN STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WAS REPORTED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PLANNED LOCAL FLIGHT THAT DEPARTED FROM MCCHAREN FIELD AIRPORT (M83) IN WEST POINT, MS.

8/05/2021 - PERSONNEL FROM THIS OFFICE PERFORMED AN ONSITE EXAMINATION. AN APPROXIMATE 50-FOOT DEBRIS PATH WAS OBSERVED WITH THE AIRCRAFT POINTED IN A NORTHEAST DIRECTION. THE DEBRIS PATH DID NOT HAVE ANY EVIDENCE OF CUT TREE OR BRANCHES AT A DESCENDING ANGLE AND ENDED WITH THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THERE WAS NOT ANY EVIDENCE OF FUEL. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST UPRIGHT, THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER REMAINED ATTACHED. BOTH WINGS EXHIBITED DAMAGE TO THE LEADING EDGES AND FUEL TANKS WITH THE RIGHT WING SEPARATED AND THE LEFT WING PARTIALLY SEPARATED. ONE PROPELLER BLADE WAS BENT AND THE SECOND BLADE WAS STRAIGHT CONSISTENT WITH THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE WAS NOT PRODUCING POWER.

8/06/2021 - THE COCKPIT AREA WAS CONTAMINATED WITH HAZARDOUS MATERIAL THAT PROVIDED FARTHER INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE.

8/10/2021 ? PERSONNEL FROM THIS OFFICE RECEIVED INFORMATION THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS RECOVERED BY^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FOR FARTHER INSPECTION ? CONTACT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

8/11/2021 ? PERSONNEL FROM THIS OFFICE RECEIVED PLOTS FROM THE ASSIGNED NTSB INSPECTOR OF CAFB RADAR RETURNS THAT SHOW THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT WITH AN ALTITUDE AS LOW AS 500 FT. MSL AND A GROUND SPEED AS SLOW AS 24 KTS.

9/15/2021 ? PERSONNEL FROM THIS OFFICE RECEIVED A COPY OF THE ASSIGNED NTSB INSPECTOR NOTES AND WITNESS VIDEOS FROM A WITNESS OF THE FLY OVER OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT VERIFYING THE WITNESS STATEMENT OF 9/13/2021. THE NOTES STATED, ?THE WITNESS WAS FACING THE WEST. LOW OVER THE TRESS, MADE 3 PASSES. FIRST ONE WAS VERY LOW, SECOND ONE HE TRIED THE SMOKE, BROWN PUFF, THEN ON THE THIRD PASS IT WORKED, SMOKE WAS ON. BOYFRIEND WAS THERE, TOOK VIDEO AND SNAP CHAT, THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DOING A LOOP?.

9/23/2021 ? PERSONNEL FROM THIS OFFICE MADE CONTACT WITH PERSONNEL WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED EVERY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

AS OF 9/23/2021 ? NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

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 CEN21FA355Accident · 2 fatalClass 3 · FieldFinal reportStarkville, MSThe pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from trees while maneuvering at low altitude.Aug 4, 2021 · Destroyed

Other reports on N7197C · 1

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

Accident 20021117030649AElbert, CO(-23) Approach to runway 12 normal, winds 210 at 10 knots. Standard three point landing, with left rudder and normal stick backpressure. Aircraft suddenly veered to the right (weathervaned) 30 degrees from centerline. Pilot applied left brake to slow and…Nov 17, 2002 · Substantial damage