Date:	Sunday 22 July 1990
Time:	16:00
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Edward G Martin t/a Martin GMC Trucks Inc
Registration:	N5984
MSN:	86501
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Sky Ranch Airport, 392 Langlinais Road, Youngsville, LA -   United States of America
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Sky Ranch Airport, Youngsville, LA (FAA LID:33LA)
Destination airport:	Sky Ranch Airport, Youngsville, LA (FAA LID:33LA)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 86501; Taken on charge by the RAF as NM193, notionally at 15 MU RAF Wroughton, Wiltshire 24.2.44. However, placed into long term storage in ‘purgatory’ in the Oxfordshire area; returned to Morris Motors, Cowley, Oxford for erection 16.8.45. To 38 MU RAF Llandow, Glamorgan 26.9.45. To RAF St Mawgan, Cornwall 11.3.46 and ferried to French Air Force 28.3.46; arrived Romorantin 30.3.46. Probably coded "12" in French Air Force service.

Inspected at Brest 3.5.51 and French civil registered as F-BGCK (C of R 21695) 29.5.51 to Aero Club du Finistere, Brest. Registration cancelled 31.12.59, possibly following accident. Re-registered in 10.61 following rebuild at Dinard in 1960-61. Re-registered in 1962 to unknown party at Valenciennes. Re-registerd in 1965 to Union Aeronautique de LRT, Lille. Regd 22.3.67 to Aero Club de l'Aisne, St Quentin, Picardie, France. C of A suspended St Quentin 20.8.69.

Sold 1.70 to UK. UK civil registered as G-AXWM (C of R R.11406/1) 26.1.70 to George Richard French, Basildon, Essex (based Stapleford; later Rochester). Registered with MSN "NM-193-12" [sic] instead of the official DeHavilland MSN 86501. Sold 18.8.70 to Dennis A Powell, Hornchurch, Essex (for £500); registration cancelled as sold ("change of ownership") 21.8.70 but not re-registered. No C of A issued. Shipped ex Southampton 12.9.70 to Baltimore on the s.s."Transhawa II" (arrived in USA 21.9.70) to Dennis Powell (of Powell Aviation International), Chicago, IL (stored Dacy Airport, Harvard, IL). Registration G-AXWM cancelled 24.11.70 as 'sold to USA'.

Sold on 16.8.71 and US-registered as N5984 19.10.71 to Joel N Johnson, c/o Powell Aviation, Chicago. C of A issued 2.9.71. Sold 20.12.71 and re-registered 8.3.72 to Lisle D Carlson, Jackson, MS. Fitted with Gipsy Major #90315 in 8.74. Sold 8.8.78 and re-registered 27.9.78 to Gregory W Swift, Bakersfield, CA (based Minter Field, Shafter, CA). Sold 15.1.82 and re-registered 5.4.82 to William Kent Buys, Corvallis, OR. Sold 13.7.82 (back) to Gregory W Swift, Stockton, MO. Sold 13.7.82 (same day!) and re-registered 26.8.82 to Martin GMC Trucks Inc (Edward G Martin), Lake Charles, LA.

Written off (destroyed) when crashed into powerlines and destroyed by fire in a landing accident at Sky Ranch Airport, 392 Langlinais Road, Youngsville, Lafayette Parish, LA, 22.7.90; John Crosbie (NZ Tiger owner) killed, other person on board seriously injured.

According to the NTSB Report into the incident:

"THE ANTIQUE AIRPLANE TOOK OFF TO THE SOUTH, FLEW FOR 15 MINUTES, AND CAME IN TO LAND ON THE SAME RUNWAY. WITH A 3 MPH TAILWIND, IT TOUCHED DOWN 2/3 TO 3/4 DOWN THE RUNWAY. IT ROLLED A SHORT DISTANCE, THEN WITH FULL POWER APPLIED, IT LIFTED OFF AND CLIMBED TO APPROXIMATELY 40 FEET AGL, AND WITH THE NOSE HIGH, BUT NOT CLIMBING, IT IMPACTED A POWER POLE AND POWER LINES.

ONE WITNESS SAID IT WAS BURNING BEFORE IT HIT THE GROUND. AS IT HIT THE TERRAIN, ON A ROAD, IT WAS HIT BY AN AUTOMOBILE. THE AIRPLANE BURNED. THE AUTOMOBILE WAS BACKED AWAY AND SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE.

CAUSE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO TOUCH DOWN AT THE PROPER POINT ON THE LANDING SURFACE. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE LATE INITIATION OF THE ABORTED LANDING".

Registration N5984 cancelled 14.5.91 as "destroyed".

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft NA100-NZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AXWM.pdf
3. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p865.html
5. NTSB Accident Number FTW90DRD13: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001212X23693&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=DR
6. FAA: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N5984
7. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=168123
8. As Tiger Moth G-AXWM at Rochester, Kent (EGTO) in August 1970: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1678136
9. As Tiger Moth N5984 In flight over Gallaher Field near Tulare California about 1978: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000688774.html
10. https://www.airnav.com/airport/33LA

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]
19-Jan-2022 21:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
19-Jan-2022 21:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Narrative]
19-Jan-2022 22:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Category]