Date:	Wednesday 2 May 1984
Time:	19:30
Type:	De Havilland DH.82a Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Confederate Air Force Inc
Registration:	N82DS
MSN:	86347
Total airframe hrs:	1859 hours
Engine model:	de Havilland 1C
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Rio Medina, Bexar County, near San Antonio, Texas -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Stinson Municipal Airport, Bexar County, Texas (SSF/KSSF)
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.82a Tiger Moth MSN 86347; Taken on charge by the RAF as NL904 at 38 MU RAF Llandow, Glamorgan 16.11.43. To 222 MU RAF High Ercall, Shropshire 26.8.44 for packing and crating for voerseas shipment. To Liverpool Docks 1.9.44 for shipment overseas. Allocated to Mediterranean Allied Air Forces and shipped to Casablanca, Morocco 15.9.44 on the s.s "Queens Park"; arrived Casablanca 23.9.44. Still on RAF chaerge as at MAAF Census 21.6.45.

To French Air Force 9.8.45. Inspected at Cognac, France 28.5.51 and French civil registered as F-BGFA (C of R 21763) on 2.6.51 to Les Ailes Cognacaises, Cognac. Fitted with Gipsy Major #90611 in December 1952. Registration cancelled in October 1955 (presumably after accident); rebuilt at Toussus-le-Noble and re-registered in December 1957 to Aero Club de l'Herault, Saint-Martin-de-Londres aerodrome (Hérault). WFU ("Withdrawn From Use") 12.9.65. Registration lapsed February 1968 as Withdrawn From Use; cancelled 30.4.69 as WFU (Withdrawn From Use). To Sahuque (at La Ferte Alais?) and stored; shipped to USA in 1972.

Sold by J J Den Hollander 1.3.73 to Geert E Frank, East Kingston, New Hampshire. Registered as N82DS (application dated 19.3.73) on 3.4.73 to Geert E Frank, East Kingston, New Hampshire; overhauled by him between 9.72 and 7.73. C of A issued 17.7.73. FAA registration document used "NL-904" [sic] as identity, which was based on the former RAF serial number, instead of the official DeHavilland MSN 86347. Sold 27.7.73 and re-registered 11.1.74 to Donald Z Sokol, Pottstown, PA. Sold 9.9.79 and re-registered 12.10.79 to Confederate Air Force Inc, Harlingen, Texas. Written off (destroyed) when spun into the ground after take-off; crashed and destroyed by fire at Rio Medina, Bexar County, near San Antonio, Texas 2.5.84; 2 on board killed.

According to the following excerpt from the official NTSB report into the accident:

"There were two fatalities. The accident occurred at San Antonio, TX, United States while taking off. The airframe was destroyed. The aircraft crashed in an open pasture with trees on the western perimeter of the airfield. The aircraft attitude at impact was nose down at a 30-to-50 degree angle in a right spiral. The main fuel tank mounted on the top wing over and behind the engine broke from its mount on impact and ruptured. A fire broke out and consumed the aircraft

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
REASON FOR OCCURRENCE: UNDETERMINED
STALL: NOT CORRECTED - PILOT IN COMMAND
ALTITUDE: INADEQUATE - PILOT IN COMMAND"

Rio Medina, is an unincorporated community in Medina County, Texas, United States. It is located approximately five miles north of Castroville and is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Area. The Tiger Moth took off from Stinson Municipal Airport (IATA: SSF, ICAO: KSSF) is seven miles south of downtown San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas.

Registration N82DS cancelled 20.8.84 as "destroyed". To Richard Oliver for rebuild. Components sold by Arthur J Bujnowswki, Goshen, CT mid-1992 as rebuild project to Jan Scott (with paperwork for T6830); registration application made 1.6.93 and amended July 1993. Bill of sale (by Confederate Air Force) 10.8.94 and after confusion with the aircraft's identity with Tiger Moth T6830) finally re-registered as N82DS (again) 15.2.95 to Jan Scott, Scott Airpark, Lovettsville, VA.

To UK (early 1996) for rebuild by Ben Cooper, Hungerford, Berkshire; first reflown after rebuild 15.8.96 and returned to USA. Sold 10.6.2007 to David Porter, Temple Bruer, Lincolnshire (for $77,000). US Registration N82DS cancelled 18.6.2007 as "exported to UK".

Delivered 19.7.2007 and UK civil registered (C of R G-ECDS/R1) as G-ECDS 6.12.2007 to David Ambrose Porter, Griffins Farm, Temple Bruer, Lincolnshire. Delivered by road to Langham 19.5.2008 for overhaul by Henry Labouchere; C of A issued 7.7.2008. Re-registered (C of R G-ECDS/R2) 8.7.2008 to Nicholas Connolly Wilson, Holcot, Northamptonshire (aircraft based at Sywell, Northamptonshire). C of A replaced by Permit to Fly 29.8.12. Permit to Fly lapsed 24.6.16.

Sold May 2019 and ferried back to Henry Labouchere; Permit to Fly renewed 4.6.19. Re-registered (C of R G-ECDS/R3) on 21.6.19 to Steven David Wilch, Northampton (aircraft based at Wold Lodge, Finedon). Sold on and re-regsitered (C of R G-ECDS/R4) on 28.10.2021 to Nigel John Read Minchin, Hambledon, Godalming, Surrey. Currently registered and airworthy with Permit to Fly

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft NA100-NZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
2. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p863.html
4. Tiger-Moth DH 82 A (F-BGFA) September 12, 1965 at Saint-Martin-de-Londres aerodrome (Hérault) - French National Archives19760051/331: https://francearchives.fr/facomponent/849b41d252b208a6df9074759e1eab1646ebc0a0
5. NTSB Identification: FTW84FA218: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/15/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001214X39568
6. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=37964
7. As Tiger Moth G-ECDS (various photos 2009-2010): https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=37964
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Medina,_Texas
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinson_Municipal_Airport

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Oct-2008 10:30	ASN archive	Added
21-Dec-2016 19:23	ASN Update Bot	Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
12-Jan-2022 18:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]