Douglas DC3A N23WT

Summary

On 20 June 1996 at about 19:08 local time, a Douglas DC3A registered N23WT was involved in an accident near Cut and Shoot, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 June 1996 at 19:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Cut and Shoot, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.3793, -95.3795

Aircraft

Douglas DC3A

Registration

N23WT

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96FA262

3 people had minor injuries.

The flight instructor's failure to use the single engine best angle of climb airspeed resulting in a loss of control of the aircraft. Factors were the loss of power to the left engine for undetermined reasons, the flight instructor not being qualified to be pilot-in-command in the DC3, his lack of recent experience in the DC3, and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During initial takeoff climb the copilot who was manipulating the controls called for METO (maximum except takeoff) power. After the pilot-in-command set METO power, the left engine lost power. The PIC took the controls from the copilot and called for him to feather the left propeller. The copilot did not hear the call to feather the left propeller. Maintaining an indicated airspeed of 90 knots and wings level attitude, the airplane descended into trees and impacted a rural residential paved street. The cockpit area and main fuselage were consumed by a post crash fire. Examination of the throttle quadrant revealed the propeller control levers were forward, the mixture control levers were autorich, the throttle for the right engine was forward, and the throttle for the left engine was at idle. According to a FAA operations inspector maintaining 90 knots with the propeller not feathered would result in the aircraft descending. The pilot and copilot had not completed a proficiency check or flight check for the DC3 type aircraft within the previous 24 months. Examination of the left engine did not disclose any preexisting anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.