Focke-Wulf FWP-149D accident near Killeen, TX
On July 4, 2021, a Focke-Wulf FWP-149D (airplane) was involved in an accident near Killeen, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 4, 2021
- Place
- Killeen, TX
- Aircraft
- Focke-Wulf FWP-149D · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 31.051°N, 97.702°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210704103411
Official records · CEN21FA304
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 4, 2021, about 1722 central daylight time, a Focke-Wulf FWP-149D experimental airplane, N9145, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Killeen, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) track data, about 1634, the flight departed New Braunfels Regional Airport (BAZ), New Braunfels, Texas, on runway 13 and continued northbound toward Skylark Field Airport (ILE), Killeen, Texas, as shown in figure 1. Figure 1. ADS-B ground track for the entire flight. At 1714:39, when the airplane was about 12.9 nautical miles (nm) south of ILE, it entered a descent from 3,600 ft mean sea level (msl). At 1715:30, the airplane entered a left turn toward the northwest as it descended through 3,500 ft msl. About 2 minutes later, when the airplane was about 7.7 nm from ILE, it entered a right turn to join the extended centerline for runway 1 at ILE, as shown in figure 2. At 1717:50, the airplane was established on the extended runway centerline at 2,800 ft msl. Figure 2. ADS-B ground track during the landing approach. Airplane performance calculations based on ADS-B data revealed that between 1716:55 and 1718:42, the airplane decelerated from 113 knots calibrated airspeed (KCAS) to about 57 KCAS as it descended toward runway 1 at ILE, as shown in figure 3. According to the Focke-Wulf FWP-149D Flight Manual, the aerodynamic stall speed at the airplane’s maximum takeoff weight with the landing gear and flaps
Probable cause
The total loss of engine power due to a fatigue failure of a crankshaft counterweight mounting lobe, which resulted in a counterweight separation and catastrophic secondary damage to the engine drivetrain. Contributing to the accident was the mislabeled warning light, the pilot’s erroneous belief that the airplane was safe to operate after the metal contamination was observed in the oil filtration
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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.
