Hawker SEA FURY ISS 25 N13HP

Summary

On 18 February 2014 at about 22:38 local time, a Hawker SEA FURY ISS 25 registered N13HP was involved in an accident near Breckenridge, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 February 2014 at 22:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Breckenridge, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Stephens County (BKD)

Coordinates

32.6969, -98.8825

Aircraft

Hawker SEA FURY ISS 25

Registration

N13HP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1956

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Breckenridge → Breckenridge

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14FA143

1 person died.

The pilot’s inadequate emergency response to a runaway propeller and his failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and stalling. The cause of the runaway propeller was undetermined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After several hours of ground instruction and one solo flight, the private pilot was making only his second takeoff in a single-seat Hawker Sea Fury airplane. Two witnesses standing at midfield reported hearing abnormal engine and propeller sounds during takeoff, and the airplane's speed seemed to be slower than normal. Another witness, who had pilot experience in the Hawker Sea Fury, did not see the takeoff but reported that he could clearly hear the engine "screaming," and he knew at that moment that the accident pilot was experiencing a propeller overspeed. A flight instructor was conducting a formation takeoff in trail behind the accident airplane to observe the flight. After his takeoff, he joined in on the right side of the accident airplane and he heard the accident pilot make a radio transmission that he had an overspeed and the airplane's rpm was at 3,500. The instructor reported that the maximum takeoff power was about 2,900 rpm. No further transmissions from the accident pilot were heard. The instructor kept repeating for the pilot to pull the power back and keep the nose down. Both airplanes climbed to about 1,000 ft above ground level, and the accident airplane began a slow turn to the left. The flight instructor continued to fly in formation with the accident airplane and continued to transmit instructions to the accident pilot to lower the nose and reduce the throttle. However, the accident airplane continued to slow and fly in a nose-up attitude until it stalled and rolled to the right. It then entered a vertical nose-down dive and impacted terrain. The flight instructor and witnesses reported that there was an immediate explosion and postimpact fire. The witnesses' description of abnormal engine and propeller sounds and the accident pilot's report of 3,500 rpm are indicative of a runaway propeller. The Hawker Sea Fury emergency checklist indicated that recovery from a runaway propeller was possible when following the procedures listed in the checklist, which include reducing the throttle, decreasing the propeller angle, and maintaining an airspeed of 140 knots. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A laboratory examination of the impact- and thermally damaged propeller regulator did not show any obvious evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or abnormalities. The cause of the runaway propeller could not be undetermined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.