What happened
On June 30, 2024, at approximately 1752 CDT, a Waco YKC, registration N14137, crashed in a flat agricultural field near Selden, Kansas. The accident resulted in 2 fatal injuries for the pilot and the pilot-rated passenger.
The flight began at 0640 EDT from Knox County Airport (4I3) in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The aircraft performed two fuel stops en route: the first at Shelby County Airport in Shelbyville, Illinois, and the second at Chillicothe Municipal Airport (CHT) in Chillicothe, Missouri. During the flight, the passenger sent several text messages to the manager of Oberlin Municipal Airport (OIN) in Kansas, initially stating OIN was the destination, then later indicating they might divert due to weather.
After landing at Phillipsburg Municipal Airport (PHG) at 1615 CDT, the pilot consulted with the OIN airport manager and a family friend regarding weather and potential destinations. Following these discussions, the aircraft departed PHG at 1710 CDT. Six minutes after this departure, the passenger sent a final text message to the OIN airport manager stating they were "going to try and go south to get out of this stuff."
Air Traffic Control radar data recorded the aircraft performing several climbing turns between 3,025 ft and 4,625 ft MSL over the accident site. The radar subsequently tracked a descending right bank. At 1748:54, radar contact was lost while the aircraft was at 3,800 ft MSL, traveling at 109 knots on a heading of 075°.
At the crash site, impact marks and debris indicated the airplane struck the terrain in a 90° right bank and a 40° nose-down attitude. The debris field measured approximately 526 ft in length and 67 ft in width, with evidence of a post-accident fire. Local residents and an nearby oil rig crew reported dense fog in the area at the time of the accident.
The investigation
The aircraft was equipped with standard VFR instruments, including a vertical speed indicator and a turn indicator with a slip-skid ball. The pilot was also using a handheld Garmin GPSMAP 496 and an Appareo Stratus 3. Investigators recovered the circuit boards from both the Garmin and the Stratus unit for examination.