Bull SE5-A N42LB
13 December 2003 · Rio Hondo, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 13 December 2003 at about 15:59 local time, a Bull SE5-A registered N42LB, operated by Texas Air Museum, was involved in an accident near Rio Hondo, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:59
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Rio Hondo, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Texas Air Museum Airport (XS63)
- Coordinates
- 26.2286, -97.5606
- Aircraft
- Bull SE5-A
- Registration
- N42LB
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Texas Air Museum
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Rio Hondo → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW04LA041
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the tailwheel equipped airplane during takeoff. Contributing factors were the pilot's selection of the wrong runway for takeoff and the prevailing tailwind.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The 14,000-hour pilot, who was participating in a reenactment flight, departed runway 18 with a five to eight knot tailwind. During the takeoff roll, he raised the tail and the airplane pitched up and to the right. As the pilot landed the airplane back on the runway, "it pitched up again." The pilot stated that he lowered the nose to maintain airspeed and assess the situation. At an approximate altitude of 50 feet agl, "the nose dropped." The pilot moved the control stick forward and then backwards with no response. Subsequently, the aircraft impacted a soft plowed field and came to rest in the upright position adjacent to the runway. Approximately five miles west of the accident site, an automated surface observing system reported wind from 360 degrees at 14 knots at the time of the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 2003 | Piper PA-18A-150 | Roanoke, Texas, United States | Marcair | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2003 | Robinson R22 BETA | Ozona, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 2003 | Cessna 550 | Mineral Wells, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2003 | Robinson R22 BETA | Houston, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 2003 | Boeing A75N1 | Houston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Apex CAP 10B | Gladewater, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |