- Date
- May 2, 1984, 19:30 local (May 3, 1984, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- San Antonio, TX
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N82DSde Havilland Tiger Moth DH 82A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840502017019A
- Case key
- 21118
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
The acft crashed in an open pasture with trees on the western perimeter. The acft attitude at impact was nose down at a 30 to 50 degree angle in a right spiral. The main fuel tank mounted on the top wing over and behind the engine broke from its mount on impact and ruptured. A fire broke out and consumed the acft. A 11 yr old boy said he saw the acft climb over some trees, make a left turn and then he heard the engine quit running. The acft nosed over sharply and descended below the trees. The witness then saw the fire ball. Plts who had flown the acft say it stalls without warningif power is retarded and the speed is dissipated and that the acft always fell off on the right wing during the stall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82DS
- Reported as
- de Havilland Tiger Moth DH 82A (TIGER MOTH)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NL-904
- Airframe hours
- 1,859
- Engine
- de Havilland 1C, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Confederate Air Force, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 6, 1983
- Departed
- San Antonio, TX
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SSF, 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.