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FTW04LA010

2003-10-18 · Houston, Texas, United States · Fatal · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport EFD

N681S has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CIRRUS DESIGN SR22, built 2016), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin while maneuvering to land.

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On October 18, 2003, approximately 1817 central daylight time, a General Motors FM-2 "Wildcat", single-engine WWII vintage airplane, N681S, was destroyed after it impacted the terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering near Ellington Field (EFD), Houston, Texas. The airline transport rated pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum, Midland, Texas, and operated by the Commemorative Air Force, Midland, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 airshow flight. The local flight departed Ellington Field approximately 1700, and at the time of the accident, the airplane had just finished participating in the Wings Over Houston airshow. Information obtained from the Local Control Tower at Ellington Field revealed that the airplane was inbound with the intention to land. According to the tower communication, the airplane was to follow a B-25 bomber-type airplane and land on Runway 35L. Local Control received the following radio communication transmissions: At 2313:33, N681S transmitted; "And EFD, uh, Wildcat 681V's about 5 to the SE inbound." At 2313:43, Local Control transmitted; " And, Wildcat calling say again your numbers." At 2313:45, N681S; "Roger, 681S." At 2313:51, N681S; "Tower, 81S's following the B-25." At 2313:54, Local Control; "81S squawk 0174, follow that traffic to 35L." At 2314:00, N681S; "Roger, follow the B-25." At 2314:23, Local Control; "Okay 81S I'm gonna need, uh, 800, correction, uh, 3,000 feet on the runway behind you and the uh, other aircraft." At 2314:55, Local Control; "81S do you want initial or a straight-in?" At 2315:00, N681S; "We'll take initial traffic please." At 2315:02, Local Control; "Okay, 81S initial approved, altitude at uh, 1,100, report right base for 35L." At 2315:10, N681S; "Okay, uh, right base for 35L, 81S roger." At 2315:51, N681S; "Uh, you mean you just want me to go down the right side, (transmission garbled, unreadable)." At 2315:55, Local Control; "Okay 81S, you were suppose to brake to the right. Can you still brake to the right?" At 2316:00, N681S; "That's affirmative, we can break right now." At 2316:02, Local Control; "Break right now, report a right base to 35L." At 2316:06, unknown carrier, mic keyed, no transmission. At 2316:13; unknown carrier, unreadable. At 2316:34, Local Control; "All aircraft standby! All aircraft standby!" One witness, who was driving north along Interstate 45 approximately 1.5 miles away, observed the airplane maneuvering at what appeared to be "less than 1,000 feet." The airplane was rocking its wings and making steep turns to the east. According to the witness, the airplane then executed a "steep climbing turn" to the left, nosed down, and dove into the ground at a "near vertical" angle. A second witness, who had landed at the field prior to the accident, reported that he observed the airplane "doing a couple of wing-overs at about 800 feet." After the second wing-over, the airplane "snapped over" and headed straight down and impacted the ground. A third witness, while watching the other airplanes land after the airshow, observed the accident airplane executing a series of "S-turns" in an effort to put more space between him and the airplane in front of him. Through a Very High Frequency (VHF) radio, the witness heard the tower controller tell the airplane to break right, but the airplane broke left. The controller again said to break right and this time the airplane did so. However, according to the witness, the airplane broke "very high and right at about 400 to 700 feet." During the maneuver, the airplane appeared to stall and impacted the ground at a "near perpendicular" attitude. A fourth witness, heading south along Texas Highway 3 approximately 1 mile away, observed the airplane "circling" behind another airplane. The airplane started to circle a second time and then dove straight down as if "trying to execute an outside loop." The airplane "rolled inverted on to its belly," and impacted the ground.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with a multi-engine land rating, a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land and helicopter ratings, and a flight instructor certificate. The pilot was issued a second class medical certificate on June 4, 2003, with the restriction of "MUST HAVE AVAILABLE GLASSES FOR NEAR VISION." The pilot held a current Letter Of Authorization (LOA) to operate FM-2 aircraft issued by the Richmond, Virginia, Flight Standards District Office on August 22, 2003, and was set to expire on August 31, 2005. According to the pilot's logbook, he had accumulated 5,447.7 hours total flight time, with approximately 60.2 hours in the accident airplane. The pilot had accumulated a total of 32.4 hours in the accident airplane in the last 30 days.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The 1944-model General Motors FM-2 "Wildcat" (similar to Grumman F4F-3) airplane, serial number 55585, was a World War II-era airplane designed for the United States Navy. The airplane was powered by a Wright R-1820-76B Cyclone 9 single-row radial engine, rated at 1,475 horsepower. The airplane was configured to seat a crew of one. At the time of the accident, the airframe and engine had accumulated approximately 1,821.5 total hours. The most recent conditional inspection was accomplished on June 12, 2003, and the airplane accumulated 20 hours since the last inspection.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 1750, the EFD automatic terminal information service (ATIS) reported the wind from 020 degrees at 8 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 77 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.11 inches of Mercury.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

According to an FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the wreckage was located approximately 1,500 feet from the approach end of runway 35R. The main wreckage came to rest upright on a measured magnetic heading of 280 degrees, approximately 40 feet from the initial impact, and the wreckage debris was distributed along a magnetic heading of 240 degrees. The initial impact crater was consistent with the nose and engine of the airplane, and the propeller hub and blades were located in the crater. Examination of the wreckage by the FAA inspector revealed the left wing was separated and came to rest adjacent to the main wreckage, and the right wing was partially separated and folded aft along the fuselage. The vertical stabilizer was wrinkled and the rudder remained attached. The right horizontal stabilizer was partially separated at the fuselage, and the right elevator control surface was separated at its respective hinge points. The propeller assembly was separated from the engine, and the engine sustained substantial impact damage.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Harris County Office of the Medical Examiner on October 19, 2003. According to the report, "The cause of death...[was] multiple blunt force injuries due to the airplane accident." Toxicological tests performed by the Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) found 0.0715 (ug/ml, ug/g) of Venlafaxine (Effexor) in the blood, a drug commonly associated with antidepressant medication. According to the CAMI Flight Surgeon, use of Venlafaxine would have precluded medical certification of the pilot had it been reported. Review of past applications show that the pilot failed to report this medication to the Federal Aviation Administration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The wreckage was released to the owner's representative. While maneuvering to land, the pilot inadvertently stalled and impacted the terrain. The pilot had been instructed by air traffic control to increase the separation between it and the airplane it was following. Several witnesses stated the airplane did a series of 360-degree steep turns. During a right turn, the airplane pitched nose up, the wings "wobbled", the airplane descend and entered a partial spin. One witness stated it appeared the airplane, approximately 50 feet agl, attempted to level off; however, then it impacted the terrain in a nose down attitude. Another witness stated the propeller was turning and did not notice any problems with the airplane or engine. The witnesses did not observe any smoke or fire from the airplane prior to the impact. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2003_FTW04LA010.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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