North American HARVARD MK II accident near Lafayette, LA
On May 4, 1996, a North American HARVARD MK II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lafayette, LA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 4, 1996
- Place
- Lafayette, LA
- Aircraft
- North American HARVARD MK II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 30.160°N, 92.031°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05745
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 4, 1996, at 1233 central daylight time, a North American Harvard MK II, N2755Z, registered to and operated by H-TRIF Holding, Inc., under Title 14 CFR Part 91, crashed following a loss of control while performing aerobatics at an air show on the Lafayette Regional Airport, Lafayette, Louisiana. The airplane was destroyed, and the airline transport rated pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. The flight originated from the airport at 1220, and the aerobatic performance began at 1228. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. Review of video footage of the accident taped by air show spectators revealed that the airplane made a low pass down runway 22R, pulled up, and entered a roll to the right. As the airplane reached the inverted position, it hesitated, then the nose dropped, and the airplane began descending while continuing to roll to the right. The airplane impacted the ground upright with the left wing low near the intersection of taxiway "J" and runway 11. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According to information provided by the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS), the pilot had more than 600 flight hours in North American T-6 aircraft and had given more than 50 air show performances in a T-6. (The North American Harvard MK II is the Canadian version of the T-6.) ICAS also provided copies of the pilot's Application for Statement of Aerobatic Competency (FAA Form 8710.7) for 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996. As of March 12, 1996, the pilot was approved for solo and formation flights with no altitude restriction
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed and/or altitude, while performing aerobatic flight.
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Browse: Louisiana · North American aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
