Flight 1039 Crash: Bandeirante Destroyed After Horizontal Stabilizer Separation (N96PB)

Accident Sequence and Impact Location Flight 1039 was cleared for takeoff from runway 31 at 18:12. One minute later, while over the departure end of the runway and climbing through 600 feet, the crew acknowledged a frequency change. Thirty seconds after that acknowledgment, the aircraft was observed in a steep descent near the extended centerline of the runway. The Bandeirante struck the ground 7,800 feet beyond the departure end of runway 31 and 85 feet to the right of the extended runway centerline. The aircraft impacted in an inverted, nose-down attitude and subsequently caught fire and burned. ## Structural Separations and Casualties Before ground impact, the horizontal stabilizer, including bulkhead No. 36, separated from the fuselage. Both elevators and elevator tips, the tail cone assembly, and the aft portion of the ventral fin also separated in flight. All 13 occupants were killed in the accident.