Narrative:
A Douglas C-47, named "Bluebonnet Belle", was involved in an accident during takeoff from runway 19 at Burnet Municipal Airport, Texas, USA. The aircraft came to rest in the grass next to the runway and burst into flames. The captain, crew chief, and 4 passengers sustained serious injuries, 1 passenger sustained minor injuries, and the co-pilot and 5 passengers were not injured.
The aircraft was to be flown to a fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The co-pilot, who was the flying pilot reported that prior to the flight, it was briefed that he would perform the takeoff. He stated that the captain taxied the airplane to the runup area, where all pre-takeoff checks were completed; the captain then taxied the airplane onto runway 19. The co-pilot further stated that he then took control of the airplane, provided a pre-takeoff brief, and initiated the takeoff sequence. About 10 seconds into the takeoff roll, the airplane drifted right, at which time he applied left rudder input. This was followed shortly by the captain saying that he had the airplane.
The captain, who was the non-flying pilot, reported to the NTSB that during the initial stages of the takeoff roll, he didn't recall the airplane swerving to the right, however, recalled telling the co-pilot not to push the tail up because it was heavy; he also remembered the airplane swerving to the left shortly thereafter. The captain stated that he yelled "right rudder" three times before taking control of the airplane. He said that as he put his hands on the control yoke, he noticed that either the tail started to come down or the main wheels were either light or were just coming off the ground as it exited the left side of the runway. The captain said that he knew the airplane was slow as he tried to ease it over [to the runway] and set it back down. Subsequently, he felt the 'shutter of a stall," and the airplane turned to the left and impacted the ground. After the airplane came to a stop, a postimpact fire ensued, during which all the occupants of the airplane egressed through the aft left door.
A video of the takeoff and accident sequence shows the aircraft accellerating on the runway, with the tailwheel leaving the ground very briefly. A few seconds after the tailwheel touched down again, the aircraft seems to drift off the left side of the runway. The aircraft banks right, causing the left hand main landing gear to become airborne. The right hand wing tip touched or almost touched the ground before the aircraft became airborne. The left wing dropped and the wing tip touched the ground, causing the plane to slew to the left and touch down again. The right hand main gear then seems to fold as the aircraft comes to rest in a cloud of dust.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest upright on a heading of about 113° magnetic, about 145 ft east of the left side, and 2,638 ft from the approach end of runway 19. The postimpact fire consumed the fuselage from the nose cone aft to about 3 ft forward of the left side cargo door along with a majority of the wing center section. No evidence of any flight control locks was found installed. The tailwheel locking pin was found in place and was sheered into multiple pieces. Vegetation (grass) within about 200 ft of the main wreckage was burnt from the postimpact fire. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
» CBS Austin
KBMQ 211253Z AUTO 21003KT 10SM CLR 24/22 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP159 T02440222 $
UTC / 08:53 local time:
KBMQ 211353Z AUTO 21008KT 10SM CLR 28/22 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP163 T02780217 $
14:31 UTC / 09:31 local time:
KBMQ 211431Z AUTO 20009KT 9SM FEW003 29/21 A3008 RMK AO2 T02890206 $
accident date: 21-07-2018
type: Douglas C-47B (DC-3)
registration: N47HL
accident date: 21-07-2018
type: Douglas C-47B (DC-3)
registration: N47HL
| Status: | Accident Investigation report not yet completed, but information verified through authorities or other sources. |
| Date: | Saturday 21 July 2018 |
| Time: | 09:00 |
| Type: |  Douglas C-47B (DC-3) |
| Operator: | Commemorative Air Force, Highland Lakes Squadron |
| Registration: | N47HL |
| MSN: | 27203/15758 |
| First flight: | 1945 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 10 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 13 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Burnet Municipal Kate Craddock Field, TX ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Takeoff (TOF) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Burnet Municipal Kate Craddock Field, TX (KBMQ), United States of America |
| Sedalia Airport, MO (DMO/KDMO), United States of America |
A Douglas C-47, named "Bluebonnet Belle", was involved in an accident during takeoff from runway 19 at Burnet Municipal Airport, Texas, USA. The aircraft came to rest in the grass next to the runway and burst into flames. The captain, crew chief, and 4 passengers sustained serious injuries, 1 passenger sustained minor injuries, and the co-pilot and 5 passengers were not injured.
The aircraft was to be flown to a fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The co-pilot, who was the flying pilot reported that prior to the flight, it was briefed that he would perform the takeoff. He stated that the captain taxied the airplane to the runup area, where all pre-takeoff checks were completed; the captain then taxied the airplane onto runway 19. The co-pilot further stated that he then took control of the airplane, provided a pre-takeoff brief, and initiated the takeoff sequence. About 10 seconds into the takeoff roll, the airplane drifted right, at which time he applied left rudder input. This was followed shortly by the captain saying that he had the airplane.
The captain, who was the non-flying pilot, reported to the NTSB that during the initial stages of the takeoff roll, he didn't recall the airplane swerving to the right, however, recalled telling the co-pilot not to push the tail up because it was heavy; he also remembered the airplane swerving to the left shortly thereafter. The captain stated that he yelled "right rudder" three times before taking control of the airplane. He said that as he put his hands on the control yoke, he noticed that either the tail started to come down or the main wheels were either light or were just coming off the ground as it exited the left side of the runway. The captain said that he knew the airplane was slow as he tried to ease it over [to the runway] and set it back down. Subsequently, he felt the 'shutter of a stall," and the airplane turned to the left and impacted the ground. After the airplane came to a stop, a postimpact fire ensued, during which all the occupants of the airplane egressed through the aft left door.
A video of the takeoff and accident sequence shows the aircraft accellerating on the runway, with the tailwheel leaving the ground very briefly. A few seconds after the tailwheel touched down again, the aircraft seems to drift off the left side of the runway. The aircraft banks right, causing the left hand main landing gear to become airborne. The right hand wing tip touched or almost touched the ground before the aircraft became airborne. The left wing dropped and the wing tip touched the ground, causing the plane to slew to the left and touch down again. The right hand main gear then seems to fold as the aircraft comes to rest in a cloud of dust.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest upright on a heading of about 113° magnetic, about 145 ft east of the left side, and 2,638 ft from the approach end of runway 19. The postimpact fire consumed the fuselage from the nose cone aft to about 3 ft forward of the left side cargo door along with a majority of the wing center section. No evidence of any flight control locks was found installed. The tailwheel locking pin was found in place and was sheered into multiple pieces. Vegetation (grass) within about 200 ft of the main wreckage was burnt from the postimpact fire. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
Accident investigation:
|
Classification:
Loss of control
Sources:
» NTSB» CBS Austin
METAR Weather report:
UTC / 07:53 local time:KBMQ 211253Z AUTO 21003KT 10SM CLR 24/22 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP159 T02440222 $
UTC / 08:53 local time:
KBMQ 211353Z AUTO 21008KT 10SM CLR 28/22 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP163 T02780217 $
14:31 UTC / 09:31 local time:
KBMQ 211431Z AUTO 20009KT 9SM FEW003 29/21 A3008 RMK AO2 T02890206 $
Photos
accident date: 21-07-2018
type: Douglas C-47B (DC-3)
registration: N47HL
accident date: 21-07-2018
type: Douglas C-47B (DC-3)
registration: N47HL
Video, social media
BURNET PLANE CRASH: Matt Gallagher sent us this video of a vintage C-47 named "Bluebonnet Belle" crashing in takeoff in Burnet this morning. All 13 passengers on board survived: https://t.co/4dGE4ZQLo0 pic.twitter.com/1Gyty780l5
— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) July 21, 2018
Aircraft history
| date | registration | operator | remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan. 1945 | 43-49942 | USAAF | delivered as C-47B |
| 30 Jan. 1945 | KN270 | Royal Air Force-RAF | as Dakota IV |
| 4 June 1946 | KN270 | Royal Canadian Air Force-RCAF | |
| 26 June 1970 | 12909 | Canadian Armed Forces | as CC-129 Dakota 4MFP |
| 8 Jan. 1976 | C-GCKE | Ontario Central Airlines | |
| 16 Jan. 1984 | C-GCKE | Nunasi-Central Airlines | |
| 16 Dec. 1985 | C-GCKE | Ontario Central Airlines | |
| 21 Apr. 1986 | C-GCKE | Perimeter Airlines Inland | |
| 10 June 1986 | C-GCKE | Ata Construction Ltd. | |
| 8 Dec. 1986 | C-GCKE | Calm Air | |
| 1 June 1995 | C-GCKE | Randy Daoust | |
| 27 Sep. 1995 | C-GCKE | Sabourin Lake Airways | |
| 24 Nov. 1998 | N595AM | Patrick Q. Perez | |
| 27 March 2001 | N595AM | Dean Caren Perez | |
| 2003 | N595AM | Airpower Heritage Museum | |
| 4 Feb. 2003 | N47HL | Airpower Heritage Museum | |
| 2004 | N47HL | Commemorative Air Force, Highland Lakes Squadron |
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Burnet Municipal Kate Craddock Field, TX to Sedalia Airport, MO as the crow flies is 993 km (620 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
Distance from Burnet Municipal Kate Craddock Field, TX to Sedalia Airport, MO as the crow flies is 993 km (620 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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