Accidents and incidents

Air Classics, Aug 2001

Compiled by William T. Larkins

On 5 April, Hawker Hunter ZK-JIL made a gear-up landing at Ardmore, New Zealand, after the pilot apparently forgot to lower the gear. No one was injured and it is thought the aircraft is repairable.

On 17 April, about 0945 central daylight time, North American AT-6D Texan N1364N operated by North American Top Gun as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, ran off the runway while landing at Destin, Florida. VFR conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage but the commercial-rated pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The flight had originated from Destin about 0915. A witness stated it was windy with a wind velocity of about 19 knots, gusting to 22 knots, and during the landing rollout the airplane departed the runway into soft sand. The witness further stated that the gear became stuck in the sand and was sheared off at the shock strut. The witness also said that the right wing was damaged during the accident.

On 5 May, at 0930 Pacific daylight time, de Havilland Tiger Moth DH82A N838KC experienced a loss of power after takeoff from runway 7 at the Sonoma Valley Airport, Schellville/Sonoma, California. The biplane came to rest inverted after the right wing dragged the ground during the attempted off-airport emergency landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The pilot stated about three weeks prior to the accident, the airplane was involved in an incident. After landing, he lost directional control and the airplane departed the runway and went into a ditch, coming to rest on its nose. The propeller was destroyed and was replaced with a new one. The pilot and a mechanic conducted a crankshaft check and no discrepancies were noted. After the new propeller was installed, an engine run-up was conducted with no mechanical anomalies. On 2 May, the pilot was going to fly the plane but the flight was canceled. On 3 May, the pilot conducted a preflight, performed an engine run-up, refueled the plane with 17 gallons of fuel, and put the craft in its hangar. The accident flight was the first since the incident. After takeoff, about three-quarters of the way down the runway, the craft experienced a gradual loss of power. At 100 feet above the ground, the pilot realized that he would not be able to make it back to the runway. He initiated a 90-degree right hand turn to avoid a levee in his immediate flight path. He remembers attempting to return the airplane to a straight and level attitude. His next recollection was walking around the inverted airplane with an ambulance headed in his direction.

On 10 May, Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XVI G-OXVI operated by Historic Flying and flown by Karl Bos made a very heavy landing at Duxford, England, and sustained substantial damage. The pilot was not injured.

On 12 May, Paul Morgan was killed instantly when his Hawker Sea Fury overturned following landing at Sywell, England. The aircraft apparently encountered soft earth which caused the turn over. Registered G-EEMV (ex-Royal Navy WH588), this aircraft had been owned for many years by the late Lloyd Hamilton as N588.

On 14 May, Confederate Air Force operated Vultee BT-13A N66791 was involved in an accident at approximately 1:50 pm at Bates Field, a small strip located approximately six miles south of Odessa. Dan Secker and Neal Clifton were fatally injured in the accident. Secker was the pilot in command and was an FAA Certified Flight Instructor. Secker and Clifton were on a familiarization flight in the aircraft. The Vultee, assigned to the High Sky Wing of the CAF, had been with the fleet since 1977. Secker was a CAF pilot since 1993 and was checked out in the airplane in 1993. Secker had also been flight engineer and copilot in the B-29, copilot in the B-24, and also flew the PT-19 and AT-6. Secker had over 5000 hours flying time. The High Sky Wing's sole surviving craft (see PT-19 crash report last issue), a T-6, was grounded pending an investigation.

On 2 June, De Havilland Venom FB.50 G-GONE (ex-Swiss Air Force) operated by de Havilland Aviation at Swansee had its landing gear fold after landing at Biggin Hill during an airshow. The plane closed the runway for 2.5 hours until it could be removed. Coming to rest on its underwing tanks, damage was fairly minimal.

On 2 June, a de Havilland T.55 Vampire was totally destroyed at Biggin Hill after apparently losing control while flying behind a de Havilland Sea Vixen during an airshow pass. Pilot Sir Ken Hayr and passenger Jonathan Kerr were killed in the resulting explosion.

On 3 June, again at the Biggin Hill airshow, Bell P-63A Kingcobra G-BTWR was completely destroyed and pilot Guy Bancroft-Wilson was killed. The aircraft, owned and operated by The Fighter Collection, had raced at the post-war Cleveland races as NX52113 Race 87 Kismit. Spectators reported that the aircraft had been performing extremely steep pull-ups and apparently stalled and then spun into the ground about 300 yards from 50,000 spectators.