Aero Vodochody L39C accident near Vernon, TX
On October 8, 2017, an Aero Vodochody L39C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Vernon, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 8, 2017
- Place
- Vernon, TX
- Aircraft
- Aero Vodochody L39C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.212°N, 99.289°W
- NTSB ID
- 20171008X84526
Official records · CEN18FA004
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 8, 2017, about 1257 central daylight time, an Aero Vodochody L39C, N580LL, collided with terrain 1/2 mile south of Wilbarger County Airport (F05), Vernon, Texas. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which originated from F05 about 1153. There were eight witnesses to the accident, and their accounts of the sequence of events varied. All the witnesses agreed that the airplane made a pass over runway 20; estimates of the airplane's altitude varied from 50 to 300 ft above ground level. One witness thought the airplane may be conducting a go-around. The airplane then made a sharp left bank; witnesses estimated the bank angle between 45° and 90°. Two witnesses thought that the pilot was trying to do a "barrel roll." One witness stated that the airplane entered an inverted attitude and "spun to the ground"; other witnesses stated that the left wing hit the ground before the airplane impacted terrain. Another witness, who was driving north along the highway adjacent to the airport, saw the airplane fly by at low altitude. He stated that the airplane's nose came up slightly and that it entered a steep left bank such that, "you could see the whole profile." He then saw a fireball and black smoke. A GoPro camera was recovered from the wreckage and sent to NTSB's Vehicle Recor
Probable cause
An in-flight loss of control and collision with terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
