Bordiuk CHALLENGER II accident near Friona, TX
On April 16, 2018, a Bordiuk CHALLENGER II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Friona, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 16, 2018
- Place
- Friona, TX
- Aircraft
- Bordiuk CHALLENGER II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.608°N, 102.866°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180416X41835
Official records · CEN18FA140
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 15, 2018, about 2100 central daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built David Bordiuk Challenger II Special airplane, N635DT, was substantially damaged during an in-flight collision with terrain near Friona, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was owned by the student pilot and was being operated by the flight instructor as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Hefner Farms Airport (7TS9), Bovina, Texas, about 2020. The flight instructor's wife reported that the flight departed "right at sunset" from an airstrip located immediately north of their home. About 2045, the flight instructor's sister was about 3 miles north of the airstrip and observed the airplane fly over a couple of times. She noted that the airplane was low, but that nothing seemed unusual. Both the flight instructor and the student pilot waved. When the pilots did not return from the flight, the flight instructor's wife called both pilots' cellphones with no response. She checked the airstrip and the hangar/garage area, but the airplane was not there. She then contacted the local authorities to report the flight overdue. The airplane was subsequently located about 0100 the following morning. There were no known witnesses to the accident. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe flight instructor's most recent logbook entry was dated March 31, 2018. His logbook did not include any entri
Probable cause
An in-flight impact with terrain for reasons that could not be determined due to a lack of evidence.
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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.
