NTSB Identification: CEN15FA422
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, September 24, 2015 in Granbury, TX
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/31/2017
Aircraft: PIERCE, HENRY BUSHBY MUSTANG II, registration: N929DS
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
Witnesses observed the airplane takeoff, and level off as it flew down the runway at a low altitude. It then entered a steep nose-up climb, followed by a sudden roll to the right and a steep nose-down descent. Video images from a security camera, showed the airplane descended at about 20° to 30° nose-down attitude until it impacted the terrain. Examination of the wreckage did not find any anomalies that would have contributed to the accident. Signatures on the propeller were consistent with the propeller being driven during the impact sequence. A review of the pilot's video camera found recordings of similar maneuvers that had a right rolling tendency during the airplane's recovery to level flight. The circumstances of the accident were consistent with the pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a steep climb resulting in an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack resulting in an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain.
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Arlington, Texas
Lycoming Motors; Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
http://registry.faa.gov/N929DS
NTSB Identification: CEN15FA422
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, September 24, 2015 in Granbury, TX
Aircraft: PIERCE, HENRY BUSHBY MUSTANG II, registration: N929DS
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On September 24, 2015, at 1908 central daylight time, a kit-built Mustang II airplane, N929DS, impacted terrain during initial climb at Granbury Regional Airport (GDJ), Granbury, Texas. The pilot and the passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed. At the time of the accident the airplane was departing GDJ for a local flight.
Witnesses at the north end of the runway, reported that after the airplane took off to the south, it briefly leveled off and flew down the runway at low altitude. It then entered a steep nose-up climb, followed by a sudden roll to the right, and a steep nose-down descent. Video images from a security camera, about 700 feet away, showed the airplane descended in a 20° to 30° nose-down attitude. The airplane impacted the terrain and a postimpact fire ensued.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot was employed as a helicopter pilot for an air ambulance company. He normally operated Bell 206L3 and 407 helicopters. He purchased, N929DS, a completed Mustang II on August 18, 2015. The pilot had accumulated 33.5 hours in the accident airplane. The pilot's last biannual flight review was conducted on June 3, 2014, in a Bell 206L3. The pilot's last biannual flight review in a fixed-wing aircraft was not located during the investigation. It could not be determined when the pilot last practiced stall recoveries.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
N929DS, was an amateur built, low wing, single engine airplane. On May 19, 2015, the airplane was inspected in accordance with Federal Aviation Rule 43 Appendix D and found to be in a condition for safe operation. At the time of that inspection, the airplane and engine had accumulated 402.88 hours. Using data obtained from the pilot's log book, at the time of the accident, the airplane had accrued no less than 436.3 hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
AIRPORT INFORMATION
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The wreckage came to rest in a grass field near the departure end of runway 14. Impact signatures were consistent with a nose low collision with terrain. The airplane's propeller, spinner, and hub fractured from the engine at the propeller flange and was partially embedded in the ground. The main wreckage was several yards away from the propeller and consisted of the remainder of the airplane. A postimpact fire consumed much of the wreckage. Flight control continuity was established. Examination of the propeller found deep pitting and gouging on the leading edges of both blades. In addition, both blades exhibited deep chord wise scratches. One blade was fractured near its mid-span with grainy, gravelly fracture surfaces. No anomalies were detected with the airframe.
The engine was examined. Engine continuity and compression was verified to each cylinder. The carburetor and magentos were heat damaged and could not be tested. There were no preimpact defects noted with the engine.
Several cockpit electronic devices which had the potential for retaining data via non-volatile memory were sent to the NTSB laboratory for examination and data download. Fire damage precluded the download of data from any of the devices. A GoPro Hero 2 camera found in the wreckage was also sent to the lab for download.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy was performed on the pilot by Tarrant County Medical Examiner as authorized by the Justice of the Peace of Hood County. The cause of death was "multiple blunt force injuries due to [an] aircraft crash with [a] post-crash fire." The manner of death was ruled an accident.
The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. Testing was negative for all tested substances.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
GoPro Camera
An exterior examination revealed the camera unit had not sustained any damage and image recording information was extracted from the associated SD card. The card contained 26 aviation related video files. Of the 26 video files, 18 were determined to have been recorded in the accident airplane. None of the 18 video files recorded in the accident airplane contained a recording of the accident flight.
Of the 18 video files, eight recordings contained a maneuver similar to the maneuver described by witnesses. In the eight recordings, the aircraft began a takeoff roll, became airborne, and remained at a low altitude as it traveled down the runway. Near the departure end of the runway, the aircraft climbed quickly and subsequently was brought to a level attitude. In most recordings where this maneuver was conducted, the aircraft exhibited a varying degree of right roll, either at the same time the aircraft was brought to a level attitude or within moments thereafter. During the 8 recordings when this maneuver was conducted, the aircraft's airspeed indicator never displayed a value of less than 80 mph. During one recording in which this maneuver was conducted, an electronic tone was heard on the audio track. The electronic tone was consistent with the stall warning tone heard on the aircraft's previous landings. The indicated airspeed at the time of this tone was approximately 105 mph and the aircraft's attitude was about 10° in pitch and 45° in roll to the right. At this time, the pilot was exiting the climb maneuver and leveling the airplane. Though the stall warning horn did briefly sound, there were no other indications the aircraft was approaching a stalled condition.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, September 24, 2015 in Granbury, TX
Aircraft: PIERCE, HENRY BUSHBY MUSTANG II, registration: N929DS
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 either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On September 24, 2015, at 1908 central daylight time, a Bushby Mustang II, single-engine airplane, N929DS, impacted terrain during initial climb at Granbury Regional Airport (KGDJ), Granbury, Texas. The pilot and the passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed. At the time of the accident the airplane was departing KGDJ for a local flight.
Witnesses at the north end of the runway, viewing the airplane from the left rear, reported that after a southbound takeoff the airplane briefly leveled off and flew down the runway at low altitude. It then entered a steep nose-up climb, followed by a sudden roll to the right and a steep nose-down descent. Video images from a security camera about 700 feet away showed the airplane was descending at about 20 to 30 degrees at the time of impact and there was an immediate explosion and fire. The airplane came to rest upright and was substantially consumed by the postimpact fire.
Several damaged avionics components containing non-volatile memory (NVM), including engine performance data, were removed from the wreckage for examination and an extraction of useful data may be possible.
At 1855 the Automated Surface Observation System at KGJD reported wind from 040 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear of clouds, temperature 31 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 9 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.03 inches of Mercury.
Chad HughesChad was a very outstanding and amazing young man.
Chad was a model for I & I international models in his 20's.
Chad tried out and made the semi-professional football team affiliated with the Kansas City Chiefs and traveled with them for about six months.
Chad owned his own guttering business for a couple years, then decided his real love- like his step-grandfather - was aircraft, and flying.
Chad graduated from AIM, Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Kansas City with honors- in the top ten in his class.
Chad went to work for Air Evac after graduating- partly because his step dad, was a flight medic for Air Evac for eight years.
Chad worked in West Plains at the completion center for two years, then was transferred and promoted to a base mechanic position at their base in Dublin Georgia.
Chad was a leader at his base in promoting good physical and mental health and led his colleagues in staying fit.
After about 16 months in Georgia, Chad was establishing himself, as a very conscientious, through mechanic- because he took his name and license being on an aircraft very seriously- he was transferring to Granbury, Texas, and had been on the job two days when he was killed.
More importantly, Chad was a fabulous father of two, a beloved son, a cherished brother, and a loyal friend.
Chad Hughes
Casey Joe Bussett
Casey Joe Bussett of Yukon/Surrey Hills tragically lost his life Thursday night Sept. 24 in a plane crash in Granbury TX.
He had been in Granbury with AirEvac and was preparing to fly home when the crash occurred. Chad Hughes a mechanic from Georgia was with Bussett when the plane crashed.
Bussett was piloting his 1987 single engine fixed wing plane when plane crashed shortly after takeoff. The plane crashed at the end of the runway and a few hundred yards from freshman football game that had just ended. Players knelt in prayer while parents and coaches rushed to help with the crash.
Bussett was a 20-year veteran of the US Army where he retired as Warrant Officer. He served two tours in Iraq, as a helicopter pilot flying Kiowa Warriors, and was a pilot for AirEvac Life Team.
He had held his pilot’s license since he was 16, getting his pilot’s license before his driver’s license.
The investigation into what caused the crash is ongoing and the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) have said the investigation could take up to a year to complete.
Casey Joe Bussett is survived by his wife Christy (Crystal) and four sons. His father Jerry (Sharron), his brother Curtis Bussett, two nieces, his mother Carla (Harold) Lewis and many friends and loved ones.
http://piedmontnewsonline.com
Two men killed in a plane crash in Granbury last week have been identified, officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety say.
The men, identified as 40-year-old pilot Casey Bussett, of Yukon, Oklahoma, and 35-year-old Chad Hughes, a mechanic from Dublin, Georgia, were taking off from Granbury Regional Airport in the amateur-built 1987 Buzby Mustang II when witnesses said they heard a funny noise and saw the plane bank very hard toward the ground.
Multiple witnesses told NBC 5 they distinctly saw something wrong with the plane's wing.
The plane slammed into the ground and burst into flames, in full view of spectators at a crowded high school football stadium adjacent to the airport. Several football coaches from both squads ran toward the nearby runway to see if they could save those on board, but the fire was too intense.
"You see the plane take off, and almost immediately we heard like a weird noise, that you knew something was wrong. And one of the other coaches said, 'Look at that!" And we looked up and you could it just drop straight down," said Jordon Sweatt, a coach for the varsity team who was observing the freshman play Thursday night.
"Your heart just immediately sinks. Because you know from the angle it went down, the chances of something positive coming out of it were pretty slim," he added.
Bussett and Hughes' names were not immediately available pending identification and notification of next-of-kin.
The investigation into the crash by the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing.
Source: http://www.nbcdfw.com
GRANBURY -- A team of federal investigators arrived in Granbury Friday morning after a single engine plane crashed, killing both the pilot and a passenger Thursday night.
It all happened as a high school football game was being played at Granbury High School across the street. The names of the victims have not yet been released, but an investigator said the plane was registered to and flown by someone from the Oklahoma City area.
An NTSB investigator and two FAA inspectors spent the morning taking pictures and examining the wreckage. It was burnt almost beyond recognition except for panels striped like the American flag. The 1987 model was described by Air Safety Investigator Tom Latson, as "experimental and amateur built."
It crashed after takeoff, nose diving at the end of the runway of Granbury Regional Airport.
Latson said witnesses reported seeing the plane get between 50 and 100 feet into the air before it suddenly veered to the right and came down in a ball of fire. Latson said he could not speculate on what caused the plane to go down, but the investigation will be thorough.
"I will be able to look at the continuity control parts that were not consumed by fire," he said. "And the other thing I will be looking at for the pilot is his training history and medical history."
Close to 150 people watching a freshman football game saw the crash as it happened. Jordon Sweatt was one of the football coaches who rushed off the field to see what happened.
"It didn't sound right going down," he said. "And then I guess I tried to block it out thinking, 'Oh it will be okay.'"
Sweatt said he soon realized that was only wishful thinking.
"When you see the smoke and the reaction from the visitors section, because they had a more clear view," said Sweatt. "That's when I realized something tragic had happened."
People in the crowed rushed into action, many of them running to the crash scene and hoping to help the victims. Wreckage was scattered about 200 to 300 yards away from the runway. First responders were on the scene in less than a minute.
The male pilot and male passenger were both confirmed dead.
Coach Sweatt said they finished the game, but it was difficult for both the coaches and the players to focus knowing that the crash happened so close by and that two people lost their lives.
The NTSB investigation could take several months to a year. The debris will be moved sometime Friday afternoon to a storage facility in the Dallas area for further examination.
Latson said he talked to several witnesses, but said if there are others they should send an email to witness@ntsb.gov and that someone would respond within 30 minutes to an hour.
He was not sure if next of kin had been notified and said anyone who might know or be related to the victims should send an email to assistance@ntsb.gov.
Source: http://www.wfaa.com
Two people were killed when a small plane crashed in Hood County, near Granbury High School Thursday night, officials say.
State Trooper Lonnie Haschel with the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed to NBC 5 that the two men on board the plane died. They have not been identified.
The single-engine aircraft went down shortly after takeoff just south of the runway and burst into flames at Granbury Regional Airport, according to Lynn Lunsford with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The crash happened at about 7 p.m., within a few hundred yards of a high school football game at Pirate Stadium. Witnesses said coaches and parents ran from the stadium to help.
No other injuries have been reported.
Story and video: http://www.nbcdfw.com
Two men killed in a plane crash in Granbury last week have been identified, officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety say.
The men, identified as 40-year-old pilot Casey Bussett, of Yukon, Oklahoma, and 35-year-old Chad Hughes, a mechanic from Dublin, Georgia, were taking off from Granbury Regional Airport in the amateur-built 1987 Buzby Mustang II when witnesses said they heard a funny noise and saw the plane bank very hard toward the ground.
Multiple witnesses told NBC 5 they distinctly saw something wrong with the plane's wing.
The plane slammed into the ground and burst into flames, in full view of spectators at a crowded high school football stadium adjacent to the airport. Several football coaches from both squads ran toward the nearby runway to see if they could save those on board, but the fire was too intense.
"You see the plane take off, and almost immediately we heard like a weird noise, that you knew something was wrong. And one of the other coaches said, 'Look at that!" And we looked up and you could it just drop straight down," said Jordon Sweatt, a coach for the varsity team who was observing the freshman play Thursday night.
"Your heart just immediately sinks. Because you know from the angle it went down, the chances of something positive coming out of it were pretty slim," he added.
Bussett and Hughes' names were not immediately available pending identification and notification of next-of-kin.
The investigation into the crash by the National Transportation Safety Board is ongoing.
Source: http://www.nbcdfw.com
GRANBURY -- A team of federal investigators arrived in Granbury Friday morning after a single engine plane crashed, killing both the pilot and a passenger Thursday night.
It all happened as a high school football game was being played at Granbury High School across the street. The names of the victims have not yet been released, but an investigator said the plane was registered to and flown by someone from the Oklahoma City area.
An NTSB investigator and two FAA inspectors spent the morning taking pictures and examining the wreckage. It was burnt almost beyond recognition except for panels striped like the American flag. The 1987 model was described by Air Safety Investigator Tom Latson, as "experimental and amateur built."
It crashed after takeoff, nose diving at the end of the runway of Granbury Regional Airport.
Latson said witnesses reported seeing the plane get between 50 and 100 feet into the air before it suddenly veered to the right and came down in a ball of fire. Latson said he could not speculate on what caused the plane to go down, but the investigation will be thorough.
"I will be able to look at the continuity control parts that were not consumed by fire," he said. "And the other thing I will be looking at for the pilot is his training history and medical history."
Close to 150 people watching a freshman football game saw the crash as it happened. Jordon Sweatt was one of the football coaches who rushed off the field to see what happened.
"It didn't sound right going down," he said. "And then I guess I tried to block it out thinking, 'Oh it will be okay.'"
Sweatt said he soon realized that was only wishful thinking.
"When you see the smoke and the reaction from the visitors section, because they had a more clear view," said Sweatt. "That's when I realized something tragic had happened."
People in the crowed rushed into action, many of them running to the crash scene and hoping to help the victims. Wreckage was scattered about 200 to 300 yards away from the runway. First responders were on the scene in less than a minute.
The male pilot and male passenger were both confirmed dead.
Coach Sweatt said they finished the game, but it was difficult for both the coaches and the players to focus knowing that the crash happened so close by and that two people lost their lives.
The NTSB investigation could take several months to a year. The debris will be moved sometime Friday afternoon to a storage facility in the Dallas area for further examination.
Latson said he talked to several witnesses, but said if there are others they should send an email to witness@ntsb.gov and that someone would respond within 30 minutes to an hour.
He was not sure if next of kin had been notified and said anyone who might know or be related to the victims should send an email to assistance@ntsb.gov.
Source: http://www.wfaa.com
Two people were killed when a small plane crashed in Hood County, near Granbury High School Thursday night, officials say.
State Trooper Lonnie Haschel with the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed to NBC 5 that the two men on board the plane died. They have not been identified.
The single-engine aircraft went down shortly after takeoff just south of the runway and burst into flames at Granbury Regional Airport, according to Lynn Lunsford with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The crash happened at about 7 p.m., within a few hundred yards of a high school football game at Pirate Stadium. Witnesses said coaches and parents ran from the stadium to help.
No other injuries have been reported.
Story and video: http://www.nbcdfw.com
The correct tail number is N929DS. A Buzby Mustang II
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