North American AT-6D N150U

Summary

On 19 June 2016 at about 19:40 local time, a North American AT-6D registered N150U was involved in an accident near Henley, Missouri, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 June 2016 at 19:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Henley, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

38.3431, -92.2444

Aircraft

North American AT-6D

Registration

N150U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1942

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jefferson City → Jefferson City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA222

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s decision to conduct extended inverted flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel flow disruption. Contributing to the accident was his decision to conduct aerobatic maneuvers at low altitude, which precluded him from selecting a suitable landing site following the total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot reported that, about 30 minutes into the local flight, the engine experienced a total loss of power, and he conducted a forced landing to a powerline cut. He stated that the airplane was at low altitude at the time of the loss of engine power because he had been taking photos of a friend's farm. Two witnesses observed the airplane conducting aerobatic maneuvers during the flight. One of the witnesses stated that the airplane was flying so low that it startled her horses as it passed overhead. She then observed the airplane roll inverted; shortly thereafter, the engine became silent. The airplane lost altitude while still inverted and impacted trees. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane's operating instructions stated that, "Inverted flying must be limited to 10 seconds because of engine difficulties resulting from prolonged inverted flight." Because no anomalies were found during the examination, it is likely that the loss of engine power was a result of fuel disruption to the engine during the extended inverted flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.