- Date
- June 5, 1992, 16:23 local (21:23 UTC)
- Place
- Wills Point, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5649Lewis-Starduster SA300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920605021839A
- Case key
- 18511
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 visual lookout.
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 pilot was viewed by several witnesses maneuvering his aerobatic airplane at a low altitude over open pasture land. The airplane impacted with a large black bird during one pass and directional control was lost. The airplane descended out of control and impacted into a field. A post impact fire consumed the airframe. The bird's carcass was located under the cockpit of the inverted airframe.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5649
- Reported as
- Lewis-Starduster SA300
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- EL-1
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- White, Jim R.
- Registered owner
- White, Jim R.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 23, 1991
- Departed
- TRL · Terrell, TX
- Destination
- TRL
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 800 total · 20 in this make and model · 750 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GVT, 20 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.