FTW88LA010

Factual narrative

WHILE RTRNG FM A X-COUNTRY, THE STUDENT BCM DISORIENTED & REQD ASSISTANCE. REDBIRD TWR CTLR ADZD DALLAS-FT WORTH TRACON THAT THE PLT WAS LOST & NEEDED A BEACON IDENTIFICATION. A FEW MIN LATER, THE ACFT'S LOCATION WAS DETERMINED & THE CTLR AT REDBIRD RELAYED A VECTOR FOR THE PLT TO FLY TO REDBIRD. LATER, THE PLT ADZD HIS FUEL LEVEL WAS GETTING LOW. HE WAS GIVEN A FREQ TO TALK TO TRACON DIRECTLY. COMMUNICATIONS WERE WEAK & OTHER CONSIDERATIONS PROMPTED THE TRACON CTLR TO VECTOR THE PLT TO LANCASTER. AFTER THE PLT FND THE ARPT, RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED. BFR LNDG, THE PLT SAW AN X ON THE RWY (INDCG IT WAS CLOSED), SO HE ABORTED THE APCH & CIRCLED THE ARPT. IN DUSK CONDS, HE SAW A LIGHT COLORED AREA BESIDE THE CLOSED RWY WHICH APPEARED TO BE A NEW RWY & ELECTED TO LND; HOWEVER, THIS WAS AN AREA OF CONSTRUCTION WITH SOFT DIRT. DRG THE LNDG, THE ACFT NOSED OVER. WHEN THE TRACON CTLR CONTACTED REDBIRD TWR TO ADZ THE PLT HAD DIVERTED, HE WAS REMINDED THAT LANCASTER ARPT WAS NOTAMED AS CLOSED WITH HVY WORK ON THE RWY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12