Young Eagles flight proves fatal for pilot — General Aviation News

Dec 09, 2023

By General Aviation News Staff · April 10, 2023 · 11 Comments

The Young Eagles flight departed from Mustang Beach Airport (KRAS) in Port Aransas, Texas.

The Young Eagles volunteer pilots were provided with a suggested flightpath for Runway 30 departures. The procedure called for a right turn at 500 feet after takeoff and to fly along the Corpus Christi ship channel until reaching the municipal harbor. The procedure then called for a left turn toward a lighthouse then a right turn to fly along the beach southbound. The procedure finally called for two right turns to enter back into a right downwind traffic patter to Runway 30.

On the morning of the accident, the pilot flew the Cirrus SR22 to KRAS. About 20 minutes after arriving at the airport, he flew his first Young Eagles flight of the day. According to a witness and air traffic information, the pilot made three approaches to Runway 12 before finally landing.

During the second flight of the day, the pilot took a child and the child's father for their discovery flight. The child sat in the aft right seat, and the father was seated in the front right seat.

The flight departed Runway 30. However, the airplane's flight track did not follow the suggested route for the event for reasons that could not be determined.

Witnesses stated that the airplane was "low and slow" on the approach to Runway 30, and the airplane almost touched down short of the runway.

Before landing, the pilot appeared to initiate a go-around. The engine power increased, the airplane's nose pitched up sharply, the left wing dropped, the engine power decreased, and the airplane hit the ground inverted in a nose low angle in front of a row of hangars adjacent to the runway. After ground impact, the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System deployed.

The airplane was destroyed in the crash, while the pilot was killed and the two passengers sustained serious injuries.

A cell phone video recorded by the front-seat passenger captured the accident flight and crash. About eight seconds before the impact, the video showed the flap selector switch in the UP (0%) position. About five seconds before the impact, the video and audio captured an increase in engine rpm, followed by a left roll, an immediate decrease in engine rpm, and terrain impact in a left-wing low attitude.

According to the pilot's logbook, he began his flight training on July 7, 2018, and received his private pilot certificate on March 8, 2019. Most of his flight training was conducted in a Cessna C-172. His last month of training and practical exam (12.8 hours total) were completed in a Piper PA-28. Upon completion of his private certification, the pilot had a total of 99.8 hours of flight time.

He started to fly the Cirrus three days after he received his private pilot certificate and had a total of 72.5 hours in it as of March 6, 2021.

The pilot received flight training in the Cirrus between Nov. 16, 2019, and Dec. 15, 2019, logging 17.3 hours of dual instruction and 19 hours of ground instruction.

The initial impact point was located about 80 feet left of the runway centerline, and the main wreckage came to rest about 90 feet west of the initial impact. Fragmented fiberglass fuselage components and the nose wheel were located between the initial impact and main wreckage.

The main wreckage comprised the engine, cockpit/cabin, both wings, and the empennage. The upper cockpit and cabin structure was destroyed by impact and rescue efforts. The CAPS parachute canopy and suspension lines were deployed and came to rest on the ground adjacent to the main wreckage. The CAPS activation T-handle was found stowed in its receptacle. The outboard left- and right-wing leading edges were crushed aft and wing skin was partially delaminated.

Flight control continuity was established from all flight control surfaces to their respective cockpit controls. The wing flap actuator position was consistent with the flaps in the retracted position.

The Avidyne primary flight display (PFD) and multifunction display (MFD) units were recovered and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Vehicle Recorders laboratory for data extraction.

The data downloaded from the PFD showed that just prior to the accident, the airplane's nose pitched to about 22°, as the airplane rolled to the left and then descended rapidly with a pitch of 30° nose down. The airspeed at the time the data ended was 71 knots. The left roll continued until the data ended.

Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the go-around, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.

NTSB Identification: 102974

To download the final report. Click here. This will trigger a PDF download to your device.

This April 2021 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.