- Date
- March 30, 2001, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Orange, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N11DBBradley Midget Mustang
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010330013529A
- Case key
- 52016
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions during the landing roll which resulted in a loss of control. A contributing factor was the crosswind condition.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While landing on runway 4, the tail-wheel equipped homebuilt airplane touched down on all three landing gear at 85 mph. After rolling about 100 feet, the aircraft swerved left, and exited the runway. The pilot applied full right rudder, which had no effect. The airplane traveled through a barbed wire fence before coming to a stop nose down in a "flooded" cow pasture. The wind at the time of the accident was from 320 degrees at 8 knots.
Factual narrative
On March 30, 2001, at 1500 central standard time, a Bradley Midget Mustang homebuilt tail-wheel equipped airplane, N11DB, was substantially damaged following a loss of control during landing roll at the Orange County Airport near Orange, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from Opelousas, Louisiana, at 1400.
The pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that he made a 3-point landing on runway 4, at approximately 85 mph. After rolling about 100 feet past the touchdown point, the aircraft swerved left, and exited the runway. He applied full right rudder, which had no effect. The airplane traveled through a barbed wire fence before coming to a stop nose down in a "flooded" cow pasture. The pilot reported that the wind was 20 degrees off the runway center at 7-10 mph.
The airport manager reported to the FAA inspector that the wind at the time of the accident was from 310 degrees at 10 knots.
At 1453, the Southeast Texas Regional Airport, located 13.4 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, reported the wind to be from 320 degrees at 8 knots.
According to the FAA inspector, the airplane's empennage was twisted to the left, and the left aileron was damaged.
The pilot reported to the FAA inspector that he had just purchased the airplane and was bringing it home. The pilot had a total flight time of 2 hours in the accident airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11DB
- Reported as
- Bradley Midget Mustang
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 436
- Engine
- Continental C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dwain R. McDonald
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- OPL · Opelousas, LA
- Destination
- ORG · Orange, TX
- Airport
- ORG · Orange County, runway 4, 4,396 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- May 15, 2000
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 9,200 total · 2 in this make and model · 8,950 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- BPT, 13 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.