ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 230334
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| Date: | Friday 1 November 2019 |
| Time: | 13:10 |
| Type: |  Grumman OV-1D Mohawk |
| Owner/operator: | MD Aviation Ltd |
| Registration: | N10VD |
| MSN: | 162C |
| Year of manufacture: | 1968 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2748 hours |
| Engine model: | Honeywell T53-L-701A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Witham Field (SUA), Stuart, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Stuart-Witham Field, FL (SUA/KSUA) |
| Stuart-Witham Field, FL (SUA/KSUA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to visually locate the aerobatic box in preparation for his airshow performance the following day; he told his crew chief that he did not intend to perform aerobatics during the accident flight due to the low cloud ceiling and wind. After takeoff, the pilot performed a left climbing turn followed by a left descending turn, then flew parallel to the runway while descending to about 500 ft. About the midpoint of the runway, he began a climbing left turn followed by a right climbing turn of increasing pitch attitude. The right turn was described by several witnesses as being about 10° to 45º past 90°, with one witness describing it as an “overbank” and another describing it as a “…crisp right roll to about 135°.” The airplane began descending and accelerating, and several witnesses reported that the pilot was attempting “pulling,” or applying aft elevator control input. The airplane was destroyed when it impacted the ground near the runway in a nose- and right-wing-low attitude.
Witnesses reported hearing no issues with the engines, and examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction with either engine, the airframe, flight controls, or propellers. An impact signature on adjacent structure from the elevator was consistent with up-elevator input at impact. It could not be determined why the pilot did not roll left to recover from the inverted attitude while descending rather than attempting to pull through it.
The pilot had not reported any use of medication at the time of his most recent medical examination. Although postaccident toxicology testing identified the antidepressant medication citalopram and its metabolite, given the circumstances of this accident, it is unlikely that effects from his use of citalopram or his depression were factors in the accident. Although ethanol was also detected, it is likely that the identified ethanol was from sources other than ingestion and did not contribute to the accident.
While a video depicted dark coloration that was somewhat translucent near and on the airplane just before impact, that coloration did not appear in any prior or subsequent frames until ground contact. All primary and secondary flight controls were accounted for, there was no evidence that any other parts separated from the airplane in-flight, and no bird remains were noted among the wreckage.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper recovery from a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in descent into terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.local10.com/news/florida/plane-crashes-at-stuart-air-show
https://www.wptv.com/news/region-martin-county/stuart/plane-crash-at-stuart-air-show
https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/martin-county/2019/11/01/reports-plane-crash-stuart/4124317002/
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N10VD
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9214472 (photo)
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Media:
Those who witnessed crash of Grumman OV-1 Mohawk airplane in Stuart, Florida, on Friday, have photos or video of airplane during accident flight, or have info they believe relevant to accident investigation, are asked to contact NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) November 2, 2019
RIP Joe Massessa. A great pilot, person and performer. https://t.co/AYlL4YFIAc
— Patty Wagstaff (@pattyaerobatics) November 2, 2019
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Nov-2019 17:57 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 01-Nov-2019 18:17 | gerard57 | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 01-Nov-2019 18:51 | Aerossurance | Updated [Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Nov-2019 19:04 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Nov-2019 07:02 | harro | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 02-Nov-2019 16:59 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Source, Embed code] |
| 02-Nov-2019 22:17 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 03-Nov-2019 10:29 | Anon. | Updated [Location, Embed code] |
| 06-Nov-2019 08:05 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative] |
| 13-Jun-2021 18:58 | TB | Updated [Location] |
| 03-Apr-2022 12:52 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo] |
| 03-Apr-2022 12:52 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Photo] |
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