Woodward Harold L RAVIN 500 accident near Conroe, TX
On May 7, 2011, a Woodward Harold L RAVIN 500 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Conroe, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 7, 2011
- Place
- Conroe, TX
- Aircraft
- Woodward Harold L RAVIN 500 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 30.363°N, 95.414°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110505X90031
Official records · CEN11FA324
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 7, 2011, about 0855 central daylight time, a Woodward Ravin 500 experimental amateur-built airplane, N913RA, owned by a private individual and operated by a private pilot impacted forested terrain shortly after takeoff from Lone Star Executive Airport (CXO), Conroe, Texas. A postimpact fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot and student pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to Temple, Texas, for the airplane to be displayed at an aviation event. Per the Air Traffic Control Tower transcript, about 0851:41, the pilot requested and received clearance for takeoff and a right turn on course. At 0853:48, the pilot reported “we have smoke in the cockpit.” A female voice heard in the background and identified as the student pilot-rated passenger said “we’re on fire”. The tower controller cleared the airplane to land on any runway. At 0854:57, the pilot said, “I’m trying to reach … [the] runway here so I can make it, I got smoke in the cockpit, but … it’s flying”. The tower controller responded, “That’s fine any runway your choice you’re clear to land, wind one seven zero at eight”. At 0855:19, the student pilot-rated passenger was heard saying “gear down”. The pilot said “alright”. That was the last voice transmission heard from the airplane. The CXO tower controller said he cleared the pilot for takeoff on runway 14
Probable cause
An in-flight smoke event on takeoff and the pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
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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.
