North American AT-6 accident near Destin, FL
On July 2, 2010, a North American AT-6 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Destin, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 2, 2010
- Place
- Destin, FL
- Aircraft
- North American AT-6 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.366°N, 86.400°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100702X65308
Official records · ERA10FA342
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 2, 2010, at 1219 central daylight time, a North American AT-6G, N92778, operated by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted the Gulf of Mexico, about 1 mile south of Destin, Florida. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger were killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight that departed Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (DTS), Destin, Florida, at 1211. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airplane was owned by the pilot. According to friends of the pilot, his family was visiting for a wedding, and the pilot was giving some family members rides in his airplane. The accident flight was the pilot's second flight of the day and the passenger was the pilot's brother-in-law. Several people were on the Destin/Fort Walton Beach, and witnessed the accident. They reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that the airplane had been performing aerobatic maneuvers along the beach. Just prior to the accident, the airplane was flying east along the beach, then turned west with its "smoke on." The airplane began a steep climb, possibly a loop or a wingover. At the top of the climb, the smoke ceased and the airplane entered a spin. The airplane descended in a spin, until impacting the water. Some of the witnesses reported that the accident airplane may have been avoiding a banner-tow airplane, however, review of FAA radar data and an interview of the banner-tow pilot revealed that the banner-tow ai
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to perform the maneuvers at a low altitude and over water.
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Browse: Florida · 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.
