Taylorcraft DCO-65 N596BH
19 March 1994 · San Antonio, Texas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 19 March 1994 at about 19:51 local time, a Taylorcraft DCO-65 registered N596BH was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:51
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 29.5394, -98.4909
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft DCO-65
- Registration
- N596BH
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW94FA102
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE FAILURE OF THE TAYLORCRAFT PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE DURING FORMATION FLIGHT. A FACTOR WAS THE OTHER PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATION REGARDING INFLIGHT FORMATION PROCEDURES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THREE AIRPLANES, A TAYLORCRAFT (L-2), AN INTERSTATE (L-6), AND A PIPER (L-3) WERE FLYING A PHOTOGRAPHIC FORMATION FLIGHT THAT WAS PLANNED AND BRIEFED. THE BRIEF CALLED FOR THE L-6 TO LEAD THE FLIGHT WITH THE L-2 FLYING IN THE LEFT WING POSITION AND THE L-3 IN RIGHT WING FORMATION WITH ABOUT A TWO WING SPAN SEPARATION. THERE WAS NO PLAN FOR ANY SIGNALS BETWEEN PILOTS. A PHOTOGRAPHER IN THE L-6 WAS TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE L-3, WITH THE CITY IN THE BACKGROUND. THE FORMATION HAD EXECUTED TWO LEFT HAND ORBITS, WITH THE L-2 INSIDE THE TURNS, WHEN THE LEAD AIRPLANE INITIATED ANOTHER LEFT TURN. DURING THAT TURN, THE L-2 COLLIDED WITH THE L-6. THE THIRD AIRPLANE WAS NOT INVOLVED. THE LEFT WING SEPARATED FROM THE L-6 AND THE EMPENNAGE OF THE L-2 WAS DAMAGED. FOLLOWING THE COLLISION BOTH AIRPLANES WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND IMPACTED THE GROUND.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylorcraft DCO-65 DCO-65 | N596BH | - | Destroyed |
| Interstate S-1B1 S-1B1 | N46951 | - | Destroyed |
Other Taylorcraft DCO-65 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1995 | Taylorcraft DCO-65 | Abilene, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Jun 1997 | Taylorcraft DCO-65 | Charleston, West Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 1997 | Taylorcraft DCO-65 | Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1991 | Taylorcraft DCO-65 | Calhoun, Georgia, United States | Adams, Kenneth R. | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 1991 | Taylorcraft DCO-65 | Antioch, California, United States | Kenneth L. Burgess | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 1989 | Taylorcraft DCO-65 | Andreas, Pennsylvania, United States | William Martin | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 1994 | Piper PA-28-151 | McKinney, Texas, United States | Centerline Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 1994 | Hughes 369HS | Mason, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Jan 1994 | Cessna 150D | Mount Pleasant, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 1994 | Piper PA-34-200T | Dallas, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 1994 | Nelson FORD V-6 STOL 262 | San Benito, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 1994 | Cessna T210H | McAllen, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |