Two Perish in T-6 Heat

The NTSB has released its preliminary report on a 17 September 2023 accident in which two aircraft then competing in the Reno Air Races—a North American T-6G registration N2897G and a North American AT-6B registration N57418—were substantially damaged and the pilots (and sole occupants) of both aircraft suffered fatal injuries following a traffic-pattern collision.

The two accident aircraft were operated as personal flights under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

The NTSB set forth:

 “Several witnesses reported observing both Race 14 (N57418) and Race 6 (N2897G) collide while in the airport traffic pattern for runway 08. One witness, reported that Race 14 was on base leg (southerly heading) for runway 08 [of Nevada’s Reno Stead Airport (RTS)], oriented along the airport perimeter fence line about three-hundred-feet Above Ground Level (AGL), and Race 6, was on downwind, on a west-south-west heading about three-hundred-feet AGL. The witness stated that at the time of the collision, Race 6 was at about a 75° angle in relation to the flight path of Race 14.

“Another witness, the pilot of Race 66, who was in the third position to land, reported after he had completed the race, he began a slow left turn to downwind. As he was about to complete the turn onto downwind, he heard the pilots of Race 14 and Race 6 both transmit ‘downwind, abeam.’ The pilot of Race 66 stated that he continued to slow his airplane to ‘create some space and time to see them.’ He heard Race 14 transmit ‘base with gear.’ As he got close to turning onto the base leg for the runway, he spotted Race 6, and transmitted downwind abeam. The pilot of Race 66 stated that he ‘finally spotted’ Race 14 below his position to the right and on the base leg, and saw Race 6 in level flight, to his left, noting both airplanes were not where he expected them to be. He added that Race 14 was on a ‘wider base’ than the previous two flights, and Race 6 was ‘tighter’ than his position. The pilot of Race 66 stated that Race 14 crossed in front of his position from right to left and disappeared [from view] on the right side of the engine cowling and Race 6 disappeared under his left wing. The pilot of Race 66 transmitted base with gear and began a left turn to the base leg for runway 08. Shortly after, he observed Race 14 where he expected him to be in level flight, with ‘nothing behind the passenger seat’ briefly before it began to roll to the right and descend in a nose low attitude.

“Review of recorded radio transmissions after the completion of the race revealed that the pilot of Race 14 reported downwind abeam. About thirty-seconds later, the pilot of Race 6 reported downwind abeam, followed by another transmission from the pilot of Race 14 reporting base with gear four-seconds later. Several transmissions were heard from pilots of other aircraft reporting downwind abeam until the announcement of a red flag about one-minute, 11-seconds after Race 14’s initial transmission.

“Examination of the accident site revealed a debris path originated about 7,881-feet northwest of the approach end of runway 08 and extended south to the main wreckage of Race 14 and was about 1,366-feet in length. Identified pieces of Race 14 in the debris field included segments of the left aileron, segments of the left flap, right horizontal stabilizer, right elevator, sections of aft fuselage skin, and a plastic pouch with the airplane documents. Small pieces of black painted skin and plexiglass from Race 6 were identified in the debris field.

“The wreckage of Race 6 came to rest in an open field. The wing structure was separated from the fuselage and the outboard left wing was separated at the attach joint. The wing sections were located about thirty-feet south of the main wreckage. The fuselage was compressed aft significantly. The vertical stabilizer, rudder, tailwheel, left horizontal stabilizer, left elevator, and portions of fuselage skin from Race 14 were found co-mingled with the wreckage of Race 6. All major structural components of Race 6 were located within about fifty-feet of the main wreckage.

“The wreckage of Race 14 came to rest in an open sagebrush field. The entire wing section was compressed aft, separated from the fuselage, and located about ten-feet from the main fuselage wreckage.”

Parties interested in learning more about the described occurrence should reference NTSB Accident Number WPR23FA345.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov