Kolb TWINSTAR accident near La Porte, TX
On July 15, 2018, a Kolb TWINSTAR (airplane) was involved in an accident near La Porte, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 15, 2018
- Place
- La Porte, TX
- Aircraft
- Kolb TWINSTAR · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.674°N, 95.056°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180715X13651
Official records · CEN18FA267
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 15, 2018, about 0900 central daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Kolb Twinstar III airplane, N3135J, impacted terrain while maneuvering for landing at the La Porte Municipal Airport (T41), La Porte, Texas. The private pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was owned by the pilot who was operating it as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed T41 about 0855. According to witnesses and local authorities, the airplane departed T41 and remained in the airport traffic pattern. While the airplane was on approach for landing to runway 23, several witnesses heard the engine power decrease then and immediately increase. Other witnesses stated that the airplane appeared to "stall" from a low altitude and impact terrain in a nose-low attitude. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to acquaintances, the pilot had purchased the airplane about 1 or 2 months before the accident. The pilot would conduct "taxi tests" at T41 with the airplane. The day before the accident, the pilot and an unknown passenger experienced a runway excursion while conducting a high-speed taxi. It was unknown if any damage occurred during the excursion. The pilot's logbooks were not located during the investigation. Based on the airplane purchase date, airplane logbook information, and witness accounts, the pilot likely accumulated about 7 hours in the accid
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a visual approach for landing, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery.
More accidents in TX
- Kubicek BB85, Jul 30, 2016
- Robertson C-414, Jul 29, 1982
- Textron Aviation B-300, Jun 30, 2019
- Beech B100, Nov 26, 1983
- Consolidated-Vultee PBY-6A, Oct 13, 1984
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.
