North American SNJ-2 accident near Virginia Beach, VA
On September 7, 2007, a North American SNJ-2 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Virginia Beach, VA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 7, 2007
- Place
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Aircraft
- North American SNJ-2 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.821°N, 76.022°W
- NTSB ID
- 20070921X01427
Official records · NYC07LA219
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
"THIS CASE WAS MODIFIED SEPTEMBER 26, 2008." HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 7, 2007, at 1226 eastern daylight time, a North American SNJ-2, N52033, was destroyed when it impacted terrain at Oceana Naval Air Station (NTU), Virginia Beach, Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local aerial demonstration flight, which was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Several persons witnessed the accident, including a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, and a Navy Air Operations Officer. They both provided written statements, which depicted a similar series of events. The accident airplane was one of five airplanes practicing for a formation aerial demonstration. For the final maneuver of the demonstration, each of the first four airplanes performed a "pop up break," while flying in a southwesterly direction, in order to return to land on runways 14R or 14L. The fifth airplane, however, continued straight ahead in a slight descent, and did not pull up or "break." The airplane continued in a constant descent, with the wings level and in a slight nose down attitude. The airplane impacted the ground and erupted in flames. Prior to impact, the engine appeared to be functioning, and no abnormal smoke was visible. A portion of the accident was also captured on video by a local news station. A preliminary review of the video showed that five airplanes approached the view of the camera, traveling from right to left, with their smoke generators active. They
Probable cause
The pilot's inability to maintain control of the airplane due to physiological incapacitation. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration to deny or restrict the pilot's medical certification, and the pilot's improper decision to perform the flight given his recent history of worsening symptoms.
More accidents in VA
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Browse: Virginia · 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.
