N52900

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 20, 2021, about 1236 eastern standard time, a North American SNJ-2, N52900, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 air show flight.

The accident airplane was operated as part of the Geico Skytypers Air Show Team, which was comprised of six North American SNJ-2 airplanes. The accident occurred during a practice flight for the Great Pocono Raceway Airshow.

The flight was initiated with a formation takeoff, which consisted of three, two-airplane elements (sections) with each element taking off at 15-second intervals. The accident pilot was leading the 2nd element, and the accident airplane was the No. 3 airplane in the formation. All communications were conducted for the flight by the flight leader in the No. 1 airplane, using the call sign “SKYTYPE 1.” At 1234:43, ATC cleared SKYTYPE 1 for takeoff from Runway 4. At 12:35:45, SKYTYPE 1 reported that they would be rolling momentarily. At 1237:44, SKYTYPE 1 advised the tower controller that they were coming around to land on Runway 4. ATC acknowledged SKYTYPE 1 and advised them they were cleared to land on any runway. At 1238:03, SKYTYPE1 advised the controller that they had an aircraft down at the departure end of runway 4.

According to the flight leader, after takeoff, about 100 feet above ground level, the No. 3 airplane made a left turn, the nose went down, and the airplane departed controlled flight. The smoke system then turned on, and the airplane impacted the ground.

According to the pilot in the No. 4 airplane, who was the accident pilot’s wingman in the 2nd section, they had just taken off, and he was sliding into position on the right side of the No. 3 airplane. Normally at that point, the accident pilot would look at him to check that his landing gear was up; but he did not. The pilot in the No. 4 airplane noted that the accident airplane’s landing gear was retracting and the airplane was starting to decelerate. He also heard, over the radio frequency that they used for communication between the airplanes, the accident pilot transmit, “Three’s got an emergency.” The No. 3 airplane turned to the left, and as it rolled through about 20° of bank, the airplane slowed further, and the bank continued to increase as the airplane descended. The smoke system then came on, the airplane impacted the ground, and a post-impact fire ensued.

A video provided by a witness on the ground captured popping noises similar to back-firing of the engine before the airplane turned left and pitched down to ground contact. No black smoke was observed emanating from the airplane before the accident. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAt the time of the accident, the pilot was employed as a first officer for a 14 CFR Part 121 air carrier. The pilot was a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and had served in the United States Air Force (USAF). During his time in the USAF, he flew the T-34C, T-6 (Texan II), C-5, C-21, and MC-12. He held type ratings for several transport category airplanes and also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine, instrument airplane, and glider. His most recent FAA first-class medical certificate was issued on January 4, 2021. On that date, he reported that he had accrued 7,006 total flight hours. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe accident airplane was a low-wing monoplane of conventional metal construction. It was equipped with retractable landing gear, wing flaps, and a two-blade, constant speed propeller. It was powered by a 600-horsepower, Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1, 9-cylinder, air cooled, radial engine.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airplane maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 1943, and had been modified from its original configuration by multiple alterations and additions, including conversion from a two-seat tandem configuration to a single-seat configuration, with a smoke oil tank taking the place of the rear seat.

The airplane’s most recent annual inspection was completed on February 4, 2021. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had accrued about 6,911 total hours of operation, and the engine had accrued about 439 hours of operation since its last overhaul. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe accident airplane was a low-wing monoplane of conventional metal construction. It was equipped with retractable landing gear, wing flaps, and a two-blade, constant speed propeller. It was powered by a 600-horsepower, Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1, 9-cylinder, air cooled, radial engine.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airplane maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 1943, and had been modified from its original configuration by multiple alterations and additions, including conversion from a two-seat tandem configuration to a single-seat configuration, with a smoke oil tank taking the place of the rear seat.

The airplane’s most recent annual inspection was completed on February 4, 2021. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had accrued about 6,911 total hours of operation, and the engine had accrued about 439 hours of operation since its last overhaul. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe airplane contacted the ground with its left wingtip first, then the nose, followed by the right wing. On impact, the airplane rotated to the left and came to rest on a 120° magnetic heading, just off the west side of taxiway B, about 185 ft south of intersection B5.

The airplane was severely fire damaged. During the impact sequence, the engine separated from its mounting location, was displaced to the right, and came to rest against the inboard right wing leading edge. The empennage had separated from the aft fuselage, the left outer wing panel had separated from its mounting location (the wing center section), and both the left and right ailerons were separated from their mounting locations. The landing gear and wing flaps were up, and the pitot tube was clear of obstruction.

Both fuel tanks were breached, and the top of the smoke oil tank was broken and melted away. The majority of the cockpit had been burned away. The hydraulic filter and hydraulic power control had separated from their mounting locations. The throttle and mixture controls were in the approximately mid-range position, and the propeller control was almost full forward. The engine control lock was burned away. The flight control lock was unlocked. The latching mechanism for the pilot’s five-point harness was in the closed and latched position.

Examination of the two-blade propeller revealed that one blade was bent back about 10° about 12 inches outboard of the blade root; the rest of the propeller blade was almost completely straight. The other propeller blade was partially curled aft starting about mid-span. Both blades displayed minimal leading-edge gouging and chordwise scratching.

Examination of the engine revealed that the starter motor was separated from its mounting location. The engine oil tank was also separated from its mounting location and was breached during the impact sequence. Trace amounts of oil remained within the tank. The oil cooler, though impact damaged, appeared functional, and the oil “Y” drain valve was separated from its mounting location. The spin-on oil filter was intact and contained engine oil; there was no metallic debris in the pleats of the internal filter material. The hand fuel pump had also been separated from its mounting location. Internal examination revealed that its screen was clear of contaminants. The air chamber mixing gate was open.

Some oil remained within the crankcase. Drivetrain continuity and thumb compression and suction were established on cylinder Nos. 2, 4, 5, and 9. Thumb compression and suction could not be established on cylinder Nos. 1, 6, 7, and 8 due to impact damage.

No oil was observed leaking from the blower, nor was any present in the intake or exhaust stacks. The carburetor was unremarkable; the carburetor floats were functional and were not leaking. The fuel pump was also functional. ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONPortable GPS

During the examination of the wreckage, a Garmin Aera 660 Portable GPS was recovered. An external examination revealed the device was missing its touch display and had sustained impact and moisture damage, rendering it inoperable. The nonvolatile memory chip was removed and read out was attempted; however, the chip was unresponsive using multiple read out and recovery methods and no data was recovered.

Fuel Facility Records

Review of fuel facility records indicated that the airplane had been fueled before the accident flight with 56.2 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline. Further review of the fuel facility records indicated that the facility had completed all the required checks satisfactorily prior to dispensing fuel on the day of the accident.

Airplane Weight and Balance

Review of weight and balance information indicated that the airplane was within weight and balance limitations.

Break Out

According to the Formation Pilots Knowledge Guide, the purpose of a break out is to ensure immediate separation and to avoid a mid-air collision.

A wingman must break out of the formation if:

- He loses sight of his reference aircraft

- He is unable to rejoin or stay in formation without crossing directly under or in front of Lead

- He feels his presence in the formation constitutes a hazard.

- When directed to do so by Lead

The guidance continues that if a pilot has lost sight of the reference aircraft, clear, then break in the safest direction away from the last known position or flight path of Lead and other aircraft. One technique—look for blue sky and pull--is appropriate for many situations, but there may be conditions where a pilot would actually pull toward the ground, depending on the airplane’s attitude and relative locat...