Mckenna James E AVID-CATAL accident near Inks Lake, TX
On September 30, 2009, a Mckenna James E AVID-CATAL (airplane) was involved in an accident near Inks Lake, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 30, 2009
- Place
- Inks Lake, TX
- Aircraft
- Mckenna James E AVID-CATAL · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.735°N, 98.378°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090930X21219
Official records · CEN09LA611
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 30, 2009, about 1415 central daylight time, a McKenna Avid-Catalina experimental amphibious airplane, N1945J, impacted water shortly after takeoff from Inks Lake, Burnet, Texas. The private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was departing for Burnet Municipal Airport-Kate Craddock Field (BMQ), Burnet, Texas, and was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. According to news reports, the pilot departed BMQ about 1030. Witnesses observed the airplane taxiing back and forth on the lake in the morning, but it never took off. One witness, a Texas Parks and Wildlife ranger, reported prior to the accident he helped the pilot remove the airplane from the water so the pilot could drain water from the airplane because he could not get the airplane to take off. The pilot was complaining because he had just paid someone to fix the leaks. The pilot worked on the airplane for about 15 minutes before the airplane was returned to the water and he attempted to take off. The pilot commented to a witness that to take the wings off and trailer the airplane would take another three hours so he would try another takeoff. Witnesses observed the airplane climbing off the water at a steep angle to about 50 feet in the air, when it started a left hand turn. The left bank increased and the airplane descended until the left wing impacted the water and the airplane cart wheeled to a stop. The airplane came to rest inverted
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to take off with a known airframe deficiency.
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Browse: Texas
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
