Rose THUNDER MUSTANG N7TR

Summary

On 25 February 2015 at about 22:24 local time, a Rose THUNDER MUSTANG registered N7TR, operated by Baber Thomas D, was involved in an accident near Helotes, 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

25 February 2015 at 22:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Helotes, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.5636, -98.7194

Aircraft

Rose THUNDER MUSTANG

Registration

N7TR

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Baber Thomas D

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Antonio → San Antonio

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15FA154

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain terrain clearance from terrain after initiating an aerobatic maneuver at a low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness observed the airplane flying about 600 ft above ground level over an unpopulated area. He observed the nose of the airplane go straight up while the airplane simultaneously banked left. The airplane became fully inverted and then began to descend in a left bank. The witness reported that he expected to see the airplane pull up and level off at its original altitude and then depart the area as he had seen the airplane do many times before. However, this time, the airplane continued to descend nearly straight down until he lost sight of the airplane behind a hill and trees; he heard a "thud" moments later. He reported that the engine sounded like it was producing full power throughout the maneuver, and he heard no indication of a loss of engine power. The airplane impacted hard, rocky terrain that contained juniper, mesquite, and oak trees. A majority of the fragmented wreckage of the composite airplane was located within 300 ft of the initial impact point; the engine was found about 730 ft from the initial impact point. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. An examination of an engine monitoring device installed on the airplane indicated that the engine was producing power at the time of impact. The wreckage path and the length of the debris field indicated that the pilot attempted to recover from the maneuver but was unable to maintain terrain clearance due to the low altitude at which he started the maneuver.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.