Nanchang CJ6 N10EB
21 October 2016 · Blackshear, Georgia, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 21 October 2016 at about 18:30 local time, a Nanchang CJ6 registered N10EB was involved in an accident near Blackshear, Georgia, United States. 3 people were 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.
The record
- Date
- at 18:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Blackshear, Georgia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Waycross-Ware County (AYS)
- Coordinates
- 31.3025, -82.2800
- Aircraft
- Nanchang CJ6
- Registration
- N10EB
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1969
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Waycross → Waycross
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA17FA027
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The Bama 3 pilot's failure to properly conduct an overshoot maneuver and his premature climb before he was clear of the lead airplane, Bama 1, which lead to a midair collision.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The accident occurred during the third formation of a four-airplane formation flight when two of the airplanes, call sign Bama 3 and call sign Bama 1, collided midair. After performing three successful formations involving pitchouts and rejoin maneuvers at an altitude of 2,500 ft msl, the pilots began a fourth rejoin maneuver. The lead airplane, Bama 1 was established in a right turning rejoin. The second airplane in the formation, Bama 2, joined the lead airplane on the inside of the turn, about 45° aft of Bama 1's right wing. The third airplane in the formation, Bama 3, was expected to approach from the inside of the turn and cross behind and under the formation to join the outside of the turn off of Bama 1's left wing. However, during the approach, the pilot of Bama 3 was forward of (actue), instead of behind, Bama 1's position. In addition, the Bama 3 airplane had a high closure rate, and the Bama 3 pilot did not announce that he was "overshooting" in accordance with the formation flying group's published guidelines; An overshoot is necessary to dissipate the energy of an approaching airplane with a high rate of closure by flying wide to the outside of the formation. The pilot of Bama 1 saw that the Bama 3 pilot was approaching at an acute angle and high closure rate and instructed him over the radio to "take it to the outside" to overshoot. As Bama 3 approached Bama 1 from the right, the Bama 1 pilot saw Bama 3 pass under his airplane from the right and expected to see the airplane emerge off of Bama 1's left side. However, the pilot of Bama 2 reported that, as Bama 3 passed under Bama 1, Bama 3 climbed steeply and collided with Bama 1. The propeller of Bama 1 struck the tail of Bama 3 as it climbed, severing the tail from the airplane. Bama 3 then pitched down, entered uncontrolled flight, and impacted terrain. Initially, the pilot of Bama 3 mismanaged the rejoin maneuver by closing with the lead at to high of a rate, remaining forward of the lead airplane, and not recognizing that his airplane was directly approaching the lead airplane. He then failed to properly conduct an overshoot maneuver that would take him below and behind the lead airplane and instead, passed directly underneath the lead airplane from the right and initiated a climb before his airplane was clear of the lead, which resulted in the collision. The autopsy results for the Bama 3 pilot found evidence of mild coronary artery disease, which did not affect the pilot's performance during the accident flight. Toxicological testing indicated that the Bama 3 pilot had used marijuana, but the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the active component in marijuana) was too low to be quantified. While the amount of THC's inactive metabolite could be quantified, there was not sufficient evidence to determine whether the pilot's marijuana use contributed to the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanchang CJ6 A | N10EB | - | Substantial |
| Nanchang CJ6 A | N33CY | - | Minor |
Other Nanchang CJ6 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Apr 2014 | Nanchang CJ6-A | Flushing, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Jun 2019 | Nanchang CJ6 | Porter Ranch, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 May 2023 | Nanchang CJ6 | Windsor, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jan 2016 | Piper PA 30 | Dublin, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Apr 2016 | Granger Michael D SONEX | Jesup, Georgia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 2016 | Cessna 150 | Cleveland, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2016 | Ayres S 2R | Cordele, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Oct 2016 | Cessna 150 | Stockbridge, Georgia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Jan 2016 | Brook Aaron D LANCAIR IV P | Albany, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |