Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA11FA165
BRITISH AIRCRAFT CORP BAC 167 STRIKEMASTER — Kingston, NY
| Date | February 26, 2011 |
| Location | Kingston, NY |
| Aircraft | BRITISH AIRCRAFT CORP BAC 167 STRIKEMASTER |
| Purpose of flight | Positioning |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 38 |
| Pilot total time | 1,187 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 21 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience w/ equipment-Pilot - F
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - F
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
According to witnesses and corroborated by a video, the pilot performed a rolling maneuver over the runway before returning for a second pass of the runway at an airport that he told his friends he would be flying over. The second pass was flown at a low altitude with the gear retracted. Following the low pass, the pilot abruptly pitched the nose up and entered a steep left turn. The nose of the airplane dropped, and the airplane entered a descending spiral and crashed into a river. The sound of the engine was heard continuously on the video of the flight until the airplane crashed. An examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had logged about 21 hours in the airplane and had obtained a type rating in the airplane about 2 1/2 months prior to the accident. His training in the airplane make and model included aerobatic maneuvers, stalls, and recovery from unusual attitudes. The airplane’s owner was not aware that the pilot was planning to perform aerobatic maneuvers and further stated that he would never have approved the pilot to perform solo aerobatics in his airplane.