FTW93LA086

NTSB accident investigation · H. Raymond Busby Mustang II · Arlington, TX · February 14, 1993

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
February 14, 1993, 15:45 local (21:45 UTC)
Place
Arlington, TX
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Destroyed
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N80RHH. Raymond Busby Mustang II
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report October 25, 1993
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19930214002289A
Case key
18698

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point and his delay in initiating the aborted landing. A factor was the wet runway and deteriorated braking action

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.

In flight collision with objectLanding - aborted
Proper touchdown point - not attainedPilot in commandCause
Airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - wetFactor
Aborted landing - delayedPilot in commandCause
Object - aircraft parked/standing
Object - vehicle
Object - tree(s)
In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled

Analysis

Witnesses stated that the airplane landed long and fast. The pilot stated that after touchdown, braking action was poor on the 1,700 foot wet sod strip and he decided to abort the landing. During the abort, the airplane struck the left wing of a Cessna 150 that was parked off the left side of the runway. After colliding with the Cessna, the airplane collided with a car parked off the end of the runway. It yawed left after colliding with the car and impacted trees and the ground

Factual narrative

On Sunday, February 14, 1993, at approximately 1545 central standard time, a H. Raymond constructed Busby Mustang II home built airplane, was destroyed when it collided with vehicles and trees during an attempted aborted landing near Arlington, Texas. The airplane, owned and operated by the commercial pilot, was on a 14 CFR Part 91 local personal flight. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.

The pilot stated that after a normal landing profile, the airplane touched down and he applied normal braking. He further stated that the normal braking had "no appreciable effect" and that braking action was poor on the 1,700 foot wet sod runway. He realized that he would run off the end of the runway and aborted the landing. He stated that he applied full throttle, but felt that the engine did not develop full takeoff power. The airplane subsequently became airborne again and collided with the left wing of a Cessna 150 parked on the left side and end of the runway, then collided with a car that was parked off the end of the runway. Upon impact with the car, the airplane yawed left and collided with trees and the ground.

Witnesses stated that the airplane appeared to be "hot" and landed long and that the abort was initiated with flaps fully extended. One witness stated that the airplane appeared to have landed about 3/4 of the way down the runway. The witnesses also stated that the engine sounded normal throughout the approach and abort.

Aircraft

Registration
N80RH
Reported as
H. Raymond Busby Mustang II (BUSBY MUST)
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
494
Airframe hours
300
Engine
Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
O'Connor, Mark A.
Registered owner
O'Connor, Mark A.
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Last inspection
Continuous airworthiness · January 2, 2000 · 100 hours before
Departed
F67 · Grand Prairie, TX
Destination
85TA
Airport
85TA · Action Aero, runway 17, 1,700 × 50 ft, grass/turf

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
26
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
3,400 total · 50 in this make and model · 3,100 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
50° at 10 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
4,500 ft overcast
Temperature
45 °F, dew point 34 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
FTW, 15 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.