North American SNJ 5 N12377

Summary

On 25 April 2018 at about 17:25 local time, a North American SNJ 5 registered N12377 was involved in an accident near Kingsville, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 April 2018 at 17:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Kingsville, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Kingsville Nas (NQI)

Coordinates

27.5039, -97.8122

Aircraft

North American SNJ 5

Registration

N12377

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kingsville → Austin

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18FA147

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a steep turn after takeoff, resulting in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent accelerated stall at an altitude too low for recovery.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot, who was the owner of the vintage military trainer airplane, and a pilot-rated passenger were conducting a right turn just after takeoff, while still over the runway surface. Witnesses reported that the airplane's bank angle exceeded 90° and the highest altitude achieved was 200-300 ft. above ground level. The airplane then descended nose low and impacted a the ground less than 1 minute after takeoff. Radar data indicated that the airplane's average airspeed during the final portion of the flight was 87 mph and the bank angle reached about 56°, which would have resulted in a load factor of about 1.8g. Airplane performance data indicated that the accelerated stall speed at this load factor was about 95 mph, thus it is likely that, during the turn, the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack and entered an accelerated stall at an altitude too low for the pilot to recover. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that could be attributed to a preimpact mechanical deficiency. The airplane was equipped with tandem seating and dual flight controls; the owner was seated in the front seat and the passenger was seated in the rear seat. The removable rear cockpit control stick was found outside of the airplane, and it could not be determined if the stick was installed at the time of the accident. No conclusive determination could be made as to which occupant was manipulating the controls during the accident sequence. The private pilot was using decongestant and allergy medications. Toxicological testing identified diphenhydramine, a sedating antihistamine, at levels that were likely impairing; however, the extent to which this contributed to the accident could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.