CEN25LA097

On February 16, 2025, about 1239 central standard time, a Douglas A-20G airplane, N747HS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Laredo, Texas. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 airshow flight. The pilot was flying the World War II light bomber/attack airplane in conjunction with the 2025 Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association’s Stars & Stripes Air Show Spectacular being held at the Laredo International Airport (LRD). According to FAA Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) data, about 8 minutes before the accident, the Douglas A-20G airplane and a Mitchell B-25 airplane approached LRD from the north in formation flight before they completed several performance flybys over runway 18R. At 1235:27, after completing 3 low-altitude flybys, both airplanes entered a right teardrop maneuver southeast of the airport to reverse course for a final flyby over runway 36L, as depicted in figure 1. According to the Air Boss for the airshow, during the final flyby, as the Douglas A-20G airplane flew past show center there was no indication of a mechanical issue, the airplane’s engines sounded normal, and there was no visible smoke trailing the airplane. The Air Boss stated that after the final flyby both airplanes were supposed to depart the traffic pattern toward the north before the next airshow act began. However, contrary to the briefed plan, the Douglas A-20G airplane entered a left turn over the north end of the airport. The Air Boss radioed the pilot to ask if everything was okay, and the pilot replied “No, I have a problem, I have a problem.” A review of aircraft performance calculations that were based on recorded ADS-B track data revealed that the airplane decelerated below the airplane’s minimum controllable airspeed (Vmc) during the final portion of the flight, as shown in figure 2. Additionally, although the airplane was turning toward the operating left engine, the airplane’s calculated roll angle exceeded the maximum recommended bank angle (15°) for single-engine flight operations, as shown in figure 3. Figure 1. Airplane’s ground track at end of flight. There were several airshow spectators who captured video footage of the airplane as it continued the left turn toward runway 18R. A preliminary review of the collected video footage revealed that the airplane’s left engine continued to operate at a high speed when compared to the right engine and propeller which appeared to be windmilling (not feathered). Additionally, some of the video footage showed a white vapor trailing the airplane’s right engine nacelle, as shown in figure 4. The airplane continued in a descending left turn until it impacted terrain short of the runway 18R threshold with its landing gear retracted. A postaccident fire ensued that substantially damaged the airplane. Figure 2. Plots depicting the airplane’s calculated altitude, ground speed, true airspeed,calibrated airspeed and vertical speed. Figure 3. Plots of the airplane’s calculated ground track, roll angle, and flight path angle. Figure 4. Screenshots from video footage that show a white vapor (red arrows) trailing the airplane’s right engine nacelle. The pilot sustained serious injuries during the accident and, as of this preliminary report, does not recall specific details concerning the circumstances of the accident. The airplane wreckage was recovered from the accident site to one of the operator’s facilities where will be examined at a future date.