On April 27, 1982, a Beech B23 (registration N6502T) operated by Gregg K. Young, Etal was involved in an aviation accident near Roanoke, TX. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Witnesses observed a plane take off normally, then pitch up abruptly to 70 degrees, stall, rotate left, and spin into the ground. No preimpact failures were found; the left seat had moved to an extreme aft position.
Accident Overview
Witnesses reported that the aircraft appeared to take off and climb normally until it reached an altitude of about 100 feet above ground level. At that point, it pitched up abruptly to approximately a 70-degree nose-high attitude. After the pitch-up, the aircraft climbed to about 175 to 200 feet above ground level, stalled, rotated about the left wing tip, and entered a spin. The plane rotated approximately 270 degrees before crashing.
Post-Accident Examination
No preimpact malfunctions or failures of the engine or flight controls were found. Two metallurgical examinations of the seat tracks and seat locking mechanisms were conducted. Reports from these examinations concluded that the left (student pilot's) seat was not in a fixed position during impact. There was evidence that it had traveled to an extreme aft position before the plane crashed. The left seat locking mechanism operated normally when checked after the accident.