According to witnesses, the pilot arrived at Windsor Airport (63NY) in Youngstown, New York, several hours before the accident to observe the skydiver jump zone activities, where he was also a pilot.
According to the jump zone owner, the pilot arrived about 10:45 that morning and “hung out” for the day, which he often did.
About 2:45 p.m., surveillance video showed the pilot conducting a preflight inspection and starting the engine before the experimental amateur-built Harmon Rocket taxied out of camera view. He taxied into position and took off from Runway 18.
A witness reported that the pilot’s routine was to takeoff to the south and perform a climbing 180° turn back to the north before flying a high-speed low pass along the runway. He would then initiate a climb and perform a barrel roll before turning to the south and heading home.
The witness reported that on the accident flight, the pilot took off to the south, made the 180° turn, then flew the low pass at 10 to 15 feet above the ground.
Following the low pass, the airplane started to climb before banking and hitting trees. The pilot died in the crash.
The witness told investigators the airplane reached an altitude about 10 to 15 feet above the tree line before it “dipped” into the trees. He stated it was like the airplane went inverted into the trees as if it entered a roll and stopped part way through the roll.
A witness south of the runway who was sitting on his porch saw the airplane flying to the south before it reversed direction and began flying north. He stated that the airplane engine was “screaming.”
An additional witness who knew the pilot, but did not witness the accident, stated that in his opinion, the pilot was “reckless” and would always try to do a stunt or other maneuver when he was leaving the airport to give his friends a “show.”
He told investigators that performance runway fly-bys at low altitude and rolls were a normal part of the pilot’s routine.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane while initiating a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in impact with trees and terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s high-risk behavior.
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This June 2023 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
People who repeatedly and intentionally do inherently risky things, frequently pay the price. And those of us left behind are often not terribly surprised. Proceed at your own peril. Nuff said.
I love flying gentleman level aerobatics. But aerobatics done at low levels are strictly for the pilot’s ego to show how brave and daring he/she is. When you dare, sometimes you lose. Come on guys and girls. Do your aerobatics up higher where more folks can see and you have room to recover from the inevitable mistake. Leave the big ego in the hangar. The internet is full of videos of pilots screwing up and making a horrifying day for a lot of people. Do you really want to be that guy?
Darwinism
I was an old+ bold alaskan bush / guide bush pilot & here i am @ 85.
My limited aerobatic experience (a 10 hour course in basic aerobatics) taught me three important things:
1. It was going to take me many hours more to become comfortable enough to do any kind of low altitude aerobatics;
2. All aerobatic maneuvers require preplanning and shouldn’t be done spontaneously;
3. No aerobatics should be performed without proper training.
I haven’t any idea if this pilot had any significant aerobatic experience, or whether he violated rule 3. But pretty clearly he violated rule 2. Even the best aerobatic pilots are in a high risk environment, so they not only adhere to rule 2, but they train regularly as in rule 3, so that they can do their maneuvers reasonably safely. Anything else is just showing off.
The clichés implication doesn’t include death by other causes. Yeager and Hoover, plus thousands of others, didn’t die due to aviation activities. I was told 50 years ago that show off maneuvers are normally safe, it’s the distraction of looking back for the accolades that causes the wreck.
My dad… who was a pilot from 1939-thru-2011**… a WWII pilot officer in the USAAF/USAF, civilian flight instructor, world record holder… was also my flight instructor. He taught me these things over the years… for civilian flying [military carries different risks]…
** He recorded every hour… but stopped adding it all up after +45000-hrs in the late 1990s. RIP2015.
*There are old pilots and bold pilots… but there are NO old-bold-pilots.
*Spontaneity and stupidity in aviation KILLs.
*It is OK to take very calculated/deliberate risks… BUT NEVER ENDANGER anyone else with your [my] risk taking.
*Funerals for fellow pilots and friends are inevitable… and hurt like hell… made much worse when they die due to human stupidity.
*NEVER FLY with anyone ‘braver’ than you. Braver = reckless.
*If You ‘die doing something you love’, then someone else will marry your widow and raise your children.
*Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.” –Captain A. G. Lamplugh, London, 1930’s
The final ‘resting place’ for Dad’s T18… https://www.eaa.org/eaa-museum/museum-collection/aircraft-collection-folder/1968-thorp-taylor-t-18—n455dt
Thanks Dad.
I thought the old pilot and bold pilot statement was pretty accurate. How is that an old inaccurate cliché?
What do they say about old pilots and bold pilots?
You mean old inaccurate clichés?
That cliche is invariably accurate.