Zenair Ltd CH 2000 accident near McAllen, TX
On August 17, 2015, a Zenair Ltd CH 2000 (airplane) was involved in an accident near McAllen, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 17, 2015
- Place
- McAllen, TX
- Aircraft
- Zenair Ltd CH 2000 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 26.164°N, 98.233°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150817X20533
Official records · CEN15FA362
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Summary: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 17, 2015, about 1850 central daylight time, a Zenair LTD CH 2000 airplane, N26ZA, impacted terrain after departure from the McAllen Miller International Airport (MFE), McAllen, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by McAllen Aviation under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. A review of the air traffic control communications prior to accident revealed that the flight instructor intended to complete 4 to 5 landings in the traffic pattern. The pilot was cleared for takeoff and then aborted the takeoff attempt about 90 seconds later. The pilot could not clear the runway in time and an incoming airplane was instructed to go around. The pilot taxied back to the departure runway and a few minutes later he stated they were ready for departure again. The controller issued a takeoff clearance and instructed him to make right traffic patterns. About two minutes after being cleared for takeoff the pilot transmitted that the next landing would be a full stop. The tower controller advised the pilot that a helicopter was one mile south of his position and inbound for landing. Shortly after, the controller observed the airplane in a descent into terrain. The controller stated that the airplane appeared to have very low airspeed
Probable cause
The flight instructor's loss of airplane control while departing in gusting wind conditions that were conducive to low-level wind shear.
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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.
