Grumman F8F-1 accident near Breckenridge, TX
On April 4, 2012, a Grumman F8F-1 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Breckenridge, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 4, 2012
- Place
- Breckenridge, TX
- Aircraft
- Grumman F8F-1 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.719°N, 98.892°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120404X61705
Official records · CEN12LA227
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 4, 2012, at 1410 central daylight time, a Grumman model F8F-1 airplane, N14HP, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees and terrain during a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver performed shortly after takeoff from the Stephens County Airport (BKD), Breckenridge, Texas. A postimpact fire ensued. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Breckenridge Aviation Museum under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that was originating at the time of the accident. A witness to the accident reported that he was in his airplane preparing to depart when the accident airplane was taxiing toward runway 17. He told the accident pilot, via radio, that he wanted to watch the accident airplane takeoff ahead of him. The accident pilot reportedly announced over the radio that he was going to perform a Half Cuban Eight aerobatic maneuver after takeoff and then overfly the runway in the opposite direction. The witness stated that after takeoff the accident airplane climbed about 150 feet in a shallow climb before it pitched-up into a near vertical climb. The airplane continued the climb in an inside loop before leveling out, inverted, about 500 feet above the runway, heading in the opposite direction of the takeoff. The witness then saw the airplane's wings roll suddenly before the airplane entered a near vertical descent. The witness described the final portion of the aerobatic maneuver as a split-
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of airplane control during a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver.
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Browse: Texas · Grumman 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.
