De Havilland DHC-3 accident near Decatur, TX
On March 31, 2001, a De Havilland DHC-3 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Decatur, TX. 5 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- March 31, 2001
- Place
- Decatur, TX
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-3 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 5 serious, 13 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.229°N, 97.590°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010404X00692
Official records · FTW01LA091
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On March 31, 2001 at 1215 central standard time, a DeHavilland DHC-3, single-engine airplane, N120BA, struck trees and terrain following a loss of control during the takeoff/initial climb from the north runway at the private Bishop Airfield near Decatur, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by Bishop Aviation, Inc., of Decatur, Texas, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airplane transport pilot and 4 passengers received serious injuries, 13 passengers received minor injuries, and 4 passengers were not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the sky diving flight, and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight. According to local authorities and the FAA inspectors, who responded to the site, the airplane was carrying parachutists for a local sky-diving jump from 13,000 feet msl. The pilot reported that most of the jumpers were experienced instructors from the Skydive Texas Facility at Bishop Airfield. The FAA inspectors, after interviewing the passengers, reported a total of 22 persons (1 pilot-in-command, 17 experienced jumpers, and 4 tandem jumpers) on board the aircraft at the time of the accident. One passenger told an FAA inspector that on "takeoff roll, the engine seemed to produce enough power." Further, he stated that the tail would normally rise first, but this time the aircraft assumed a "very steep angle of attack." He saw the pilot "winding the wheel on the lower right side of the chair clockwise, frantically." The pilot pushed forward and left on the control yoke. The tail of th
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the takeoff/initial climb. Contributing factors were the pilot's exceeding aircraft weight and balance limits and the dust devil.
More accidents in TX
- Kubicek BB85, Jul 30, 2016
- Robertson C-414, Jul 29, 1982
- Textron Aviation B-300, Jun 30, 2019
- Beech B100, Nov 26, 1983
- Consolidated-Vultee PBY-6A, Oct 13, 1984
Browse: Texas · De Havilland 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.
