14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, October 23, 2013 in Galveston, TX
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/13/2015
Aircraft: NORTH AMERICAN P 51D, registration: N4151D
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot and passenger departed on the flight in a vintage warbird airplane. After departure, radar tracked the flight along a bay in a southwestern direction. A witness reported that he heard the airplane overhead heading south and that he then saw the airplane slowly turn north and appear to descend at a high rate of speed before it impacted the water. The airplane was largely fragmented upon impact.
The flight was recorded by an onboard video recording system. A review of the video revealed that, a few minutes into the flight, the pilot asked the passenger if he’d like to fly the airplane. The passenger replied he was not a pilot, but he’d like to try it. The video showed that, with the passenger at the controls, the airplane steeply banked right to about 90 degrees, and the nose dropped; the pilot explained that back pressure was needed on the stick during turns to prevent the loss of lift. The conversation continued as the airplane was rolling to wings level and as the pilot was encouraging the passenger to pull back on the stick. During this time, the video showed the airplane descending toward the water. Neither the pilot nor passenger acknowledged the impending collision. It is likely that the pilot’s focused attention on instructing the passenger contributed to the his lack of recognition of the impending collision. It could not be determined if the water’s smooth surface contributed to the pilot’s loss of situational awareness. The accident is consistent with the pilot’s loss of situational awareness resulting in controlled flight into the water.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's loss of situational awareness while instructing the passenger, which resulted in the controlled flight of the airplane into the water.
On October 23, 2013, about 1130 central daylight time, a North American P-51D airplane, N4151D, impacted the waters of Galveston Bay near Galveston, Texas. The airline transport rated pilot and passenger were fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, Galveston, Texas, and operated by the Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, Texas, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the flight. The flight originated from the Scholes International Airport (KGLS), Galveston, Texas, about 1120.
A review of air traffic control (ATC) communications, revealed routine radio communications between ATC and the pilot. Shortly after takeoff, the KGLS tower controller queried the pilot if he wanted to contact Houston Center after leaving the control tower's airspace or remain on the tower frequency. The pilot reported that they would be airborne for 25-30 minutes and would remain on the tower controller's frequency. There was no further communication between the pilot and ATC.
A witness, who was on a fishing boat, reported that he heard the airplane overhead heading south. The airplane made a slow turn to the north. The witness added that it appeared the airplane was descending and traveling at a high rate of speed. The engine sounded like it was at full throttle and the wings were level before impact with the water.
A review of radar data for the accident flight depicted the airplane departing KGLS and climbing. The airplane's track showed the airplane maneuvering and generally heading southwest, over the water of West Bay. The airplane reached an altitude of 3,500 feet, and then descended to 2,800 feet with airspeed about 200 knots, before the radar data ended.
The accident site was located about 13 miles southwest of KGLS, in shallow water between West Bay and Chocolate Bay. The winds at the time of the accident were reported as light.
The airplane fragmented upon impact with the water. The engine, propeller, both wings, pieces of the fuselage, and a majority of the empennage were recovered; the remainder of the wreckage was not recovered.
The airplane was equipped with an on-board video recording system. The system records two camera views along with audio. One fish-eye lensed camera is mounted in the vertical stabilizer and captures a view of the airplane and horizon. The fish-eye camera view is looking forward, with the cockpit canopy in the center; images of the surrounding terrain can generally be seen in the background. The second camera is mounted in the cockpit and captures a view of the rear seat occupant. The system records an inset image of the passenger in the lower right portion of the airplane view.With the assistance of the Galveston County Sheriff Office, Marine Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigations Evidence Response Team, the video recording unit with SD card was located in the wreckage, and recovered from the bay. The unit was shipped to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)'s Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in Washington, DC.
A video file was recovered from the SD card that captured the accident flight. A video group that consisted of representatives from the NTSB, Federal Aviation Administration and the operator was convened in at the NTSB Recorders Laboratory, Washington, DC, to view and document the video. The video depicted the airplane's departure and flight over the bay; the video also captures the conversation between the pilot, air traffic control, and the passenger. After leveling off, the pilot demonstrated several turns. After a few minutes, the pilot asked the passenger if he'd like to fly the airplane. The passenger stated he was not a pilot, but he'd like to try it. With the passenger on the controls, the pilot explained left and right turns. The airplane was viewed maneuvering with reference to the conversation between the pilot and passenger [A full detailed transcript of the video and audio is available in the NTSB public docket]. With the passenger still at the controls, the airplane was seen steeply banking to the right to almost 90 degrees, with the nose of the airplane dropping; the pilot explained that back pressure is needed during turns, to prevent the loss of lift. The conversation continued as the airplane was rolling wings level and the pilot was encouraging the passenger to pull back on the stick. During this time, the video depicted the airplane in a descent towards the water. Neither the pilot nor passenger acknowledged the impending collision. The review of the video also noted that the surface of the bay's water appeared smooth, almost glass like. The video did not capture the actual impact with the water, due to a delay in the recording to the SD card and the interruption of power to the unit.
The pilot of the Galveston Gal Keith Hibbett, 51, of Shady Shores
A father of two on a twenty-minute ride in a Second World War fighter plane was killed in a high-speed crash just moments after he took control of the wheel.
John Stephen Busby, 66, was on holiday in Texas when he was allowed to take control of the P-51 shortly before smashing into the sea, an inquest heard this week.
Mr Busby had paid more than £1,000 for the flight in the plane at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston.
The plane’s on-board video was analysed and the pilot, Keith Hibbert, 51, asked John if he wanted to fly the plane. Geophysicist John, from Woldingham, Surrey, said: “Yes I do, if you guide me through it. I’m not a pilot.”
The plane was then seen by fisherman Randall Groves descending towards the water at speed.
Mr Groves said: "The Mustang disintegrated on contact with the water. Two unopened parachutes were in the water."
In a statement, widow Pauline said her husband had always wanted to fly in a spitfire, and the Mustang was the next best thing.
The couple had been celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary on the trip to the US.
Woking Coroner Simon Wickens said investigations had concluded there was nothing wrong with the Mustang and there was no suggestion the pilot had consumed any alcohol or drugs before the fatal flight, in October 2013.
Mr Wickens said the "glass-like" quality of the water beneath them may have fooled the pilot into not realising just how low they were flying.
Concluding the death of Mr Busby was accidental, he added: "Neither the pilot or Mr Busby seemed to acknowledge the impending collision.
"It was probably due to the pilot's loss of situational awareness while he was instructing his passenger."
NTSB Identification: CEN14LA015
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, October 23, 2013 in Galveston, TX
Aircraft: NORTH AMERICAN P 51D, registration: N4151D
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On October 23, 2013 about 1130 central daylight time, a North American P-51D airplane, N4151D, impacted water near Galveston Bay near Galveston, Texas. The airline transport pilot and passenger were fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, Galveston, Texas, and operated by Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The flight originated from the Scholes International Airport (KGLS), Galveston, Texas, about 1120.
According to preliminary review of air traffic control communications, the radio communications were normal. Shortly after takeoff, the controller queried the pilot if he wanted to contact Houston Center after leaving the control tower’s airspace or remain on the tower frequency. The pilot reported that they would be airborne for 15-20 minutes and would remain on the tower controller’s frequency. There was no further communication with the pilot.
A witness, who was on a fishing boat, reported that he heard the airplane overheard heading south. The airplane made a slow turn to the north. The witness added that it appeared the airplane was descending and traveling at a high rate of speed. The engine sounded like it was at full throttle and wings were level before impact with the water.
The accident site was located about 13 miles southwest of KGLS, in shallow water between West Bay and Chocolate Bay.
After initial documentation of the wreckage site, the wreckage will be recovered for further examination.
HOUSTON -- Search crews worked Tuesday to recover the wreckage from an historic P-51 Plane that crashed last week near the Chocolate Bay.
Two people died when the World War II era aircraft plunged into the water.
The passenger was 66-year-old John Stephen Busby, a United Kingdom resident who was visiting Texas with his wife to celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary.
He had paid nearly $2,000 to ride on the plane. The pilot was 51-year-old Keith Hibbett, of Denton. Coast Guard crews recovered the victims’ bodies from Halls Lake near Chocolate Bay last Wednesday afternoon.
The P51 Mustang, a World War II era fighter, took off from Scholes International Airport shortly before crashing.
Witnesses on a charter boat reported seeing the plane go down around 11:40 a.m. on Oct. 23 near Galveston’s West End in Brazoria County.
The FAA was investigating the cause of the crash.
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