Premium research interface

The modern interface for aviation safety intelligence.

Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.

63k+
Reports indexed
1940-2026
Coverage
Recent
Last data refresh
Featured Report

Loading…

Loading featured report…

Loading…
Open Report

Safety trends by operating rule

Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.

Loading trend charts…

Browse the aviation graph

Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.

Last Data Update

By Decade

By Month

Aircraft Manufacturer

More manufacturers

Airports

More airports

Operators

More operators

About

Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.

The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.

FAQs

NTSB Report

January 31, 2009 · North American T-6G BETA · N51KT

Cypress, TX

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
January 31, 2009
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (4 uninjured)
Location
Cypress, TX
Aircraft
North American T-6G BETA
Tail Number
N51KT
Operator
Warbird Skyventures
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Minor
NTSB Number
CEN09LA149

A flight instructor was having his student practice hovering and "hovering auto" maneuvers in a Robinson R-22 in preparation for his upcoming flight check. They air-taxied to the runway and announced on the common traffic advisory frequency that they were departing. They made a "quick stop" and then announced that they were "on the go." The pilot of a T-6G said that she announced that they were departing. The helicopter was over the grass and slightly to the left of the runway when its main rotor blades struck the left wing tip of the airplane. The helicopter spun around and struck the ground. The pilot of the other airplane remained in the traffic pattern and landed. A video of the collision showed the helicopter visible to the extreme left of the airplane’s nose, forward of the left wing, just as its pilot reported "on the go again." The helicopter appeared to be in a nose-low attitude flying just above the taxiway to the left of the aircraft. The T-6G appeared to be in a level flight attitude just left of runway centerline. The helicopter impacted the ground and the T-6G flew a left-closed pattern, returned and landed on the takeoff runway.

NTSB Probable Cause

Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other aircraft-Pilot of other aircraft - C

Full Narrative

On January 31, 2009, approximately 1355 central standard time, a Robinson R22, N226AP, piloted by a commercial certificated flight instructor, and a North American T-6G, N51KT, piloted by a commercial pilot, collided in midair over Weiser Air Park, Cypress, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The R22 was on an instructional flight and the T-6G was on a sightseeing flight. Both flights were being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without flight plans. The flight instructor and student pilot aboard the R22 sustained minor injuries, and the pilot and passenger aboard the T-6G were not injured. The R22 was destroyed and the T-6G sustained minor damage. The local flights of both aircraft were originating at the time of the accident. According to the T-6G pilot’s report, she announced that they were departing on runway 27. At that time, the R22 was slightly to the left of runway 27. As the T-6G flew over, the helicopter’s main rotor blades struck its left wing tip. The impact spun the helicopter around and it impacted the ground next to the runway. The pilot on the T-6G remained in the traffic pattern and landed on runway 27. According to the R22 flight instructor’s statement, he was having the student pilot practice hovering and "hovering auto" maneuvers in preparation for the student’s upcoming flight check. They air-taxied to runway 27 and announced on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) that they were departing on runway 27. They made a "quick stop," and then announced they were "on the go." There is no evidence that the helicopter made a clearing turn before proceeding. An examination of the R22 showed that the firewall was buckled, one skid was broken, the tail rotor and tail cone were crushed, and the engine and transmission were twisted. An examination of the T-6G showed its left wing tip was separated. A video tape of the collision appeared on the Internet on "MySpace". The helicopter operator downloaded the video onto a disk and sent it to the Investigator-in-Charge. The disk was sent to National Transportation Safety Board’s video laboratory for analysis. According to the Video Specialist’s Factual Report, the pilot of T-6G reported she was taking off on runway 27 at 1354:29, and 26 seconds later the airplane lifted off. The helicopter then became visible to the left of the T-6G’s nose, just as the helicopter pilot called on the radio, “*six Alpha Papa is on the go again.” The helicopter was visible in the extreme left of the video frame, just forward of the left wing. It appeared to be in a nose-low attitude, flying just above the taxiway to the left of the aircraft. The collision occurred 5 seconds later. The T-6G appeared to be in level flight attitude slightly left of runway centerline. The pilot remained in a left-closed traffic pattern and landed. The following is the transcription of the audio portion taken from the video tape/disk: 1351:03 “Weiser traffic North American back-taxi two seven Weiser.” 1352:51 “Weiser traffic North American back-taxi two seven.” 1253:27 [Pilot comment about waving to a helicopter and an observation that the helicopter crew are too busy to respond]. 1354:00 “*six Alpha Papa is on the go we’re in the grass on the south side of the field two seven right traffic watching.” 1354:08 [Passenger comment that other aircraft does right traffic and ‘we’ do left traffic; observation confirmed by pilot]. 1354:24 “Weiser traffic five eight Golf Sierra’s is clear of active two seven Weiser” 1354:29 “Weiser traffic North American departing two seven Weiser.” 1354:55 [Aircraft lifts off from runway]. 1354:57 “*six Alpha Papa is on the go again.” 1355:00 [Momentary vibration in camera view and pilot/passenger comments indicating a collision event just occurred]. 1356:14 “Weiser traffic North American turning base-final two seven.” 1356:53 [Aircraft completes landing on runway two seven].

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time13:55 CST
Nearest AirportWeiser Air Park (0nm)
Runway27
Runway Length3455 ft
Runway Width40 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftNorth American T-6G BETA
Tail NumberN51KT
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageMinor
OperatorWarbird Skyventures
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsPratt & Whitney · R-1340 · Reciprocating · 400 | Lycoming · O-360-J2A · Reciprocating · 145
Seats2

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (4 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured4
Total4
Crew 1Age 39 · Second Class · None
Crew 2Age 21 · Second Class · None
Crew 3Age 19 · Second Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind240° @ 9 kt, gusting 15 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point19 C
Altimeter30.22 inHg
Observation Time19:53
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data