# NTSB ERA10FA163: North American T6, N47LF, Santa Rosa Beach, FL, March 6, 2010

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report
- Date: March 6, 2010, 12:36 local (18:36 UTC)
- Place: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
- Coordinates: 30.344722, -86.279724
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.3447&lon=-86.2797&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Maneuvering-aerobatics: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 2 fatal
- Status: Completed, report May 26, 2011
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties: FAA/FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 75446
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA10FA163
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/75446/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=75446
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA10FA163

## Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a low altitude,over water aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an aggravated stall/spin. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's loss of situational awareness and his decision to perform aerobatics at a low altitude.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Performance/control parameters: airspeed](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [North American SNJ-6, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010/cases.md?model=6400422), [All aircraft, 1,681 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010/cases.md)
- [Action: incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [North American SNJ-6, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md?model=6400422), [All aircraft, 1,386 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md)
- [Perception/orientation/illusion: situational awareness](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02022035): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [North American SNJ-6, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02022035/cases.md?model=6400422), [All aircraft, 111 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02022035/cases.md)
- [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [North American SNJ-6, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=6400422), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md)

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Maneuvering-aerobatics: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [North American SNJ-6, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=6400422), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md)
- [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240); cases with it: [North American SNJ-6, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=6400422), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md)
- [Uncontrolled descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [North American SNJ-6, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=6400422), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md)

## Analysis

The accident airplane was number 5 in a five-plane, in-trail, over water formation. The flight leader estimated that the formation was about 500 feet above the water, and a trail pilot estimated that the airplanes were about 2,000 yards apart. The formation was headed eastbound, along a beach. A video clip revealed that some of the airplanes completed aileron rolls. When the number 5 airplane attempted a left aileron roll, it reached a 180-degree (completely upside down) position with the nose dropping to about 10 degrees below the horizon. As the airplane continued through about 225 degrees, at an estimated 15-degrees nose low attitude, it began a turn to the right while still continuing the left roll. As the airplane reached a southerly heading, away from the beach, it passed through about 315 degrees of the left roll (right wing still 45-degrees down.) The roll suddenly reversed, the wings briefly went vertical (left wing up, right wing down), and the nose dropped, indicative of a stall. As the airplane continued rolling to the right, it appeared to go slightly inverted. It then descended into the water about 90-degrees nose low, with the top of the airplane facing the beach. The right wingtip was the first part of the airplane to strike the water, and as it did, the angle of the wings in relation to the horizon was about 45 degrees. No objects were observed departing the airplane during the maneuver, and no distress calls were noted by any of the other pilots. Although the airplane was recovered in pieces, no preexisting mechanical anomalies were noted. Propeller damage indicated the likelihood that the engine was powered at impact.

## Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 6, 2010, at 1236 central standard time, a North American SNJ-6, N47LF, was destroyed when it impacted the Gulf of Mexico about 1 mile south of Topsail Hill Reserve State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. The certificated commercial pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The airplane, part of a five-airplane formation, was not operating on a flight plan. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the formation lead pilot, all of the pilots of the five-airplane formation met about 1130 for a formation briefing. The flight took off about 1200, and flew westbound, over water along the east-west beach for about 4 miles, with cross unders and echelons practiced. A breakup and rejoin was accomplished, and the formation proceeded eastbound. After later turning to the south, away from the beach, another breakup was accomplished with subsequent maneuvering resulting in an in-trail formation headed eastbound. The accident airplane was number 5 in trail. In interviews, the pilots indicated that some were performing aileron rolls while in trail. None were performing additional acrobatics such as loops or barrel rolls from that low of an altitude, which the formation lead pilot indicated was about 500 feet above the water. A trail pilot reported that the separation between the airplanes was about 2,000 yards. A video card containing a video clip of the accident was provided via local authorities. The video, which was taken from the beach, showed the last four of the five airplanes in trail over the water, initially heading eastbound. Each airplane was videoed separately. The video began with the number 2 airplane in the middle of the screen, about 225 degrees through a left aileron roll. The airplane then exited the left side of the screen about 270 degrees through the roll (left wing straight up and right wing straight down.) The number 3 airplane then came into view from the right side of the screen, at what appeared to be a lower altitude, and with the left wing 20 to 30 degrees down. The airplane remained in that approximate attitude and altitude until it exited the left side of the screen. The number 4 airplane then came into view from the right side of the screen in an approximately 30-degrees nose-up attitude. About mid-screen it began a roll to the left. The airplane exited the left side of the screen, still about 30 degrees nose up, having rolled about 90 degrees. The camera then panned to the left to capture an additional part of the roll, until the airplane exited the left side of the screen again, but about 180 degrees through the roll (upside down at that point) with the nose still several degrees above the horizon. The number 5 airplane, the accident airplane, then came into view from the right side of the screen, about 30-degrees nose up, and 30-degrees left wing down. It subsequently rolled tothe left, and appeared to reach 90 degrees (left wing down, right wing up) before the camera panned left and momentarily lost it from the right side of the screen. The airplane then flew back into view, about 135 degrees through the left roll, and continued to a 180-degree (completely upside down) position. At that point, the airplane’s nose was slightly low in relation to the horizon, dropping to about 10-degrees nose low. The camera then again panned to the left, and the airplane again disappeared from the right side of the screen. The airplane subsequently reappeared on the screen about 225 degrees through the left roll, at an estimated 15-degrees nose low, and began a turn to the right while continuing the left roll recovery. As the airplane reached a southerly heading, away from the beach, it passed through about 315 degrees of the left roll (right wing 45-degrees down), and the roll suddenly reversed. The wings briefly went vertical (left wing up, right wing down), the nose dropped, and as the airplane continued rolling to the right, it appeared to go slightly inverted. It then descended into the water about 90-degrees nose low, with the top of the airplane facing the beach. The right wingtip was the first part of the airplane to strike the water, and as it did, the angle of the wings in relation to the horizon was about 45 degrees. No objects were observed departing the airplane during the maneuver, and no distress calls were noted by any of the other pilots. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 60, held a commercial pilot certificate, with ratings for airplane single engine land, multi-engine land, single engine sea, multi-engine sea, and instrument airplane. The pilot's logbook was not recovered. On his latest FAA second class medical application, dated July 17, 2009, the pilot indicated 5,400 hours of total flight time. One of the other formation pilots stated that he observed nothing abnormal with the pilot on the day of the accident, that the pilot was very "upbeat" about flying that day, and that the pilot had last flown the accident airplane on the day prior to the accident. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane was powered by a Pratt and Whitney R-1340-AN1 engine, producing 600 horsepower. According to the airplane’s logbooks, the latest annual inspection was completed on August 19, 2009. At the time, the airframe had 2,054.8 hours of operation, while the engine had 6,056.6 hours of operation, with 884.6 hours since major overhaul. The airplane was described by the other formation pilots as “probably the nicest,” “meticulous,” “beautiful,” and “immaculate,” with “no lack of expense” in maintaining it. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION Weather, reported at Destin Airport, about 10 nautical miles west of the accident site, at 1253, included clear skies, visibility 10 statute miles, winds from 190 degrees true at 7 knots, temperature 14 degrees C, dew point -3 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.24 inches Hg. WRECKAGE AND IMPACTINFORMATION The wreckage was located in 60 feet of water in the vicinity of 30 degrees, 20.69 minutes north latitude, 86 degrees, 16.79 minutes west longitude. The wreckage was recovered by divers in pieces, with the largest piece being the fuselage with the engine attached. The tail was only attached by control cables. The wing center section was also recovered; however, the outboard wing sections were not recovered due to low subsurface visibility. During the recovery, both main landing gear were observed to be retracted into the wing center section. The wreckage was examined on the recovery barge. One of the two propeller blades was curled aft, about mid-span, and exhibited significant leading edge gouging, diagonal scratches near the tip, and chordwise burnishing. The other propeller blade exhibited curling near the tip and chordwise burnishing. The engine exhibited impact damage to almost all the cylinders, and was not rotated. Control cable continuity was confirmed to the rudder and elevator, but could not be confirmed from the control stick to the ailerons due to missing cables. Aileron cables found in the center wing section were broomstrawed, consistent with overload separation. Most of the cockpit instruments were destroyed in both cockpits; however, the hour meter indicated 2,107.7 hours of operation. There were no recording devices located onboard the airplane. MEDICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION An autopsy was performed on the pilot at the Florida District 1, Office of the Medical Examiner, Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The cause of death was determined to be "multiple blunt force injuries." Toxicological testing was subsequently performed by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with no anomalies noted.

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N47LF](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N47LF-2018-01-24), registration cancelled 2018-01-24, S/N 121-43186 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: NORTH AMERICAN T6
- Registry model: [North American SNJ-6](https://openairdocs.org/model/north-american-snj-6) (registry code 6400422) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney R1340 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r1340-series) (registry code 52016, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 121-43186
- Airframe hours: 2107
- Engines: Pratt and Whitney R 1340-AN1 600 horsepower reciprocating
- Damage: Destroyed
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Unknown
- Last inspection: Annual, August 19, 2009, 53 hours before
- Departed: DST, Destin, FL
- Destination: DST, Destin, FL

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 60; injuries: fatal; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, multi-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; seat: front; toxicology performed; flight hours: 5,400 total

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observed at: DST, 10 nm away

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20100306031039A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100306031039A), Mar 6, 2010: North Ameri SNJ-6, Santa Rosa Beac, AL, Destroyed, 2 fatal. On March 6, 2010 at 1235 local, N47LF attempted to perform an aerobatic rolling maneuver to the left at approximately 500 feet MSL. The pilot lost control of…

## Docket (15 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 21, 2011, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=75446. 69.4 MB in all.

- Data File (MOV) - Film Short of Accident Sequence (item 1, MOV, 65.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341247&FileExtension=mov&FileName=Data%20File%20(MOV)%20-%20Film%20Short%20of%20Accident%20Sequence-Master
- Other Formation Pilots' Statements (item 2, .PDF, 99 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40340657&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Other%20Formation%20Pilots%27%20Statements-Redacted.PDF
- Memorandum for Record (item 3, .PDF, 24 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341710&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Memorandum%20for%20Record-Master.PDF
- Airplane/Component Times (item 4, .PDF, 54 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341709&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Airplane%2FComponent%20Times-Redacted.PDF
- Toxicological Report (item 5, .PDF, 46 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40340659&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Redacted.PDF
- Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 6, .PDF, 37 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40340658&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Redacted.PDF
- Photo 1: Fuselage Being Hoisted onto Barge (item 7, .PDF, 410 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341231&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%3A%20%20Fuselage%20Being%20Hoisted%20onto%20Barge-Master.PDF
- Photo 2: Sideview of Fuselage on Barge (item 8, .PDF, 224 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341232&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%3A%20%20Sideview%20of%20Fuselage%20on%20Barge-Master.PDF
- Photo 3: Left Wing Being Hoisted onto Barge (item 9, .PDF, 334 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341238&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%3A%20Left%20Wing%20Being%20Hoisted%20onto%20Barge-Master.PDF
- Photo 4: Empennage Being Hoisted onto Barge (item 10, .PDF, 349 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341243&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204%3A%20Empennage%20Being%20Hoisted%20onto%20Barge-Master.PDF
- Photo 5: Straight-On View of Engine/Propeller during Hoist onto Barge (item 11, .PDF, 268 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341233&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%205%3A%20%20Straight-On%20View%20of%20Engine%2FPropeller%20during%20Hoist%20onto%20Barge-Master.PDF
- Photo 6: Bent Propeller Blade with Scratches (item 12, .PDF, 436 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341242&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%206%3A%20Bent%20Propeller%20Blade%20with%20Scratches-Master.PDF
- Photo 7: Propeller Blade Leading Edge/Front Face Scratching (item 13, .PDF, 360 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341235&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%207%3A%20Propeller%20Blade%20Leading%20Edge%2FFront%20Face%20Scratching-Master.PDF
- Photo 8: Front Cockpit Instrument Panel (item 14, .PDF, 576 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341244&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%208%3A%20Front%20Cockpit%20Instrument%20Panel-Master.PDF
- Photo 9: Rear Cockpit Instrument Panel (item 15, .PDF, 591 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40341240&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%209%3A%20Rear%20Cockpit%20Instrument%20Panel-Master.PDF

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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