What happened
On October 25, 2016, a Boeimg A75N1 (PT17) single-engine vintage biplane, registration N48182, crashed while operating in the traffic pattern at McCampbell-Porter Airport (TFP) in Ingleside, Texas. The flight, operated by Commemorative Air Force, had departed from Mustang Beach Airport (RAS) earlier that day.
The pilot was practicing takeoff and landing maneuvers on runway 13. After two successful stop-and-go landings, the pilot attempted a third takeoff. As the tail became airborne at approximately 45 mph, the aircraft began to veer to the right. The pilot responded by reducing right rudder input and applying back stick pressure to reach a liftoff speed of 65 mph.
Upon liftoff, the aircraft yawed to the right. The pilot attempted to reduce pitch to increase airspeed, but the aircraft continued to yaw right and entered an uncommanded right roll with a slight nose-up pitch. Despite applying full left aileron and left rudder, the pilot could not regain control. The aircraft impacted the terrain off the right side of the runway in a right-wing-low attitude, reaching an estimated bank angle of 90 degrees. The impact caused the airplane to nose over and come to rest inverted. The pilot was not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The investigation
The pilot initially suggested that an in-flight failure of the right horizontal stabilizer caused the loss of control. While the post-accident examination showed that the right horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer were significantly damaged, investigators found that flight control continuity remained intact for all primary controls.
Components including the fractured right horizontal stabilizer spar tubes, the bracing wire, and the fractured vertical stabilizer spar tube were examined by the NTSB Materials Laboratory. The laboratory determined that all observed separations were the result of overstress failure caused by impact-related damage, and no material anomalies were found in the components.