Champion CITABRIA N6379N

Summary

On 6 October 2006 at about 18:00 local time, a Champion CITABRIA registered N6379N was involved in an accident near Slidell, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 October 2006 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Slidell, Texas, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Champion CITABRIA

Registration

N6379N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shady Shores → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07CA001

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a parked vehicle.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 1,769-non-instrument rated private pilot and his passenger departed from a nearby private airstrip approximately 1130 and proceeded to a motor park racetrack that was under construction. The landing on the 1,800-foot long hard packed dirt strip was uneventful. After spending 40 minutes to an hour at the construction site, the pilot and his passenger boarded the 1967-model tailwheel-equipped airplane for the return trip. The pilot again utilized the 1,800-foot dirt strip for departure on an easterly direction. As the airplane was departing, the pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report (NTSB 6120.1) that the airplane "became uncontrollable due to unknown causes." Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, revealed that the airplane's right wingtip collided with a parked minivan and the airplane cart-wheeled several times before coming to rest in an inverted position near a steep embankment. The pilot, who was occupying the front seat, was extracted from the airplane by fire-rescue personnel with the aid of the "jaws of life." The passenger on the aft was able to egress the airplane unassisted and suffered minor injuries. A person on the ground that was standing by the parked vehicle was also injured. The pilot reported that he had no recollection of the flight or the ensuing accident. At 1253, the automated surface observing system at the nearest airport, located about 10 miles southeast of the accident site, reported clear skies and wind from 050 at 7 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.