ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 144826
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| Date: | Wednesday 4 April 2012 |
| Time: | 14:10 |
| Type: |  Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat |
| Owner/operator: | Breckenridge Aviation Museum |
| Registration: | N14HP |
| MSN: | 90446 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1945 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2759 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Stephens County Airport - KBKD, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Breckenridge, TX (BKD) |
| Breckenridge, TX (BKD) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A witness to the accident reported that the pilot announced over the radio that he was going to perform a half Cuban eight aerobatic maneuver after takeoff and then overfly the runway in the opposite direction. The witness stated that, after takeoff, the airplane entered a shallow climb to about 150 feet before it pitched up into a near vertical climb. The airplane continued the climb in an inside loop before leveling out, inverted, about 500 feet above the runway, heading in the opposite direction of the takeoff. The witness then saw the airplane's wings roll suddenly before the airplane entered a near-vertical descent. The witness described the final portion of the aerobatic maneuver as a split-S maneuver, or a descending half loop, from which the airplane did not recover before colliding with trees and terrain on a southeasterly heading. The witness stated that the airplane exploded on impact and that a postimpact fire ensued. The postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reportedly was as an experienced aerobatic pilot who had routinely performed at airshows throughout his flying career. The pilot's medical history included coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease, cataract surgery, and hypothyroidism. The autopsy was limited by the absence of most of the cardiac tissue; therefore, it could not be determined if the pilot was impaired or incapacitated by an acute coronary event during the low-altitude aerobatic maneuver.
Probable Cause: The pilot's loss of airplane control during a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Apr-2012 03:17 | gerard57 | Added |
| 05-Apr-2012 04:16 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Apr-2012 04:17 | RobertMB | Updated [Source] |
| 06-Apr-2012 13:47 | Alpine Flight | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 08-Apr-2012 21:34 | Geno | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Apr-2012 01:27 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-May-2012 22:22 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 20:35 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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