What happened
On September 20, 2025, at approximately 1724 central daylight time, a North American T-6G, registration N32SZ, was destroyed following an accident near Louise, Texas. The aircraft was being operated as a private flight under 14 CFR Part 91. At the time of the accident, a local fly-in was taking place, featuring a flour drop competition among participants.
The aircraft had completed one competition pass and had reentered the left traffic pattern when the accident occurred. During the event, the aircraft was sequenced between two Boeing Stearman airplanes and a fourth Stearman. Witness video and accounts indicate that while on the left base leg for the runway, the aircraft entered an inverted right descending roll, followed by a roll to a 90-degree right bank and a nose-down pitch. One witness reported the aircraft suddenly "snapped right" and entered a "falling leaf" descent before impacting the ground.
The aircraft struck a flat, harvested corn field approximately 3/4 miles northwest of the runway. The impact was consistent with a slight left bank and a nose-up attitude. The accident resulted in 2 fatal injuries.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the fuselage revealed upward bending and failures in the lower tubular structure. The propeller blades remained attached to the hub; one blade exhibited S-type bending and chordwise scratches, while the other had a separation approximately 28 inches from the propeller root. In the cockpit, the front seat throttle, propeller, and mixture controls were found in the full forward position, though they were discontinuous with the rear seat engine controls. Flight control continuity was confirmed for all surfaces.
The engine was partially separated from the fuselage. Investigators found the fuel strainer screen separated from the bowl, though no debris was noted within the screen. Both cockpit fuel selector levers were positioned to the left fuel tank, but the selector itself was found separated within the debris path. While the left fuel tank was compromised, the right fuel tank remained intact and contained fuel. A Sentry mini ADS-B receiver and an iPad Mini were recovered for data analysis.