British BAC 167 STRIKEMASTER N167SM

Summary

On 26 February 2011 at about 17:35 local time, a British BAC 167 STRIKEMASTER registered N167SM, operated by Dragon Aviation Inc., was involved in an accident near Kingston, New York, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 February 2011 at 17:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Kingston, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Kingston-Ulster Airport (20N)

Coordinates

41.9808, -73.9469

Aircraft

British BAC 167 STRIKEMASTER

Registration

N167SM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Dragon Aviation Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Johnstown → Hudson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11FA165

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control while maneuvering. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the accident airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to witnesses and corroborated by a video, the pilot performed a rolling maneuver over the runway before returning for a second pass of the runway at an airport that he told his friends he would be flying over. The second pass was flown at a low altitude with the gear retracted. Following the low pass, the pilot abruptly pitched the nose up and entered a steep left turn. The nose of the airplane dropped, and the airplane entered a descending spiral and crashed into a river. The sound of the engine was heard continuously on the video of the flight until the airplane crashed. An examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had logged about 21 hours in the airplane and had obtained a type rating in the airplane about 2 1/2 months prior to the accident. His training in the airplane make and model included aerobatic maneuvers, stalls, and recovery from unusual attitudes. The airplane’s owner was not aware that the pilot was planning to perform aerobatic maneuvers and further stated that he would never have approved the pilot to perform solo aerobatics in his airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.