Remos G-3/600 accident near Hilda, Texas, February 12, 2009
On February 12, 2009 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Remos G-3/600, registered N23GX, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Hilda, Texas (Mason County Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to maintain clearance from obstacles while maneuvering at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 2009 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Hilda, Texas · Mason County Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Remos G-3/600
- Registration
- N23GX · registry record · serial 245
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was demonstrating low-level operations when the left wing and the vertical stabilizer struck a cable suspended across the valley. The left wing stalled and the instructor pilot applied full power and right rudder, regaining control approximately 20 feet above the ground. He then continued to the destination for an uneventful landing. A postflight inspection showed superficial marks on the left wing and the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer. There were several structural tears and radial fractures in the aft end of the fuselage boom and the top and bottom seams of the smallest part of the fuselage boom were split for more than 18 inches.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Complacency › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Self confidence › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Response/compensation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 3,600 as pilot in command; 1,800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private, student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 104 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 60 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 12, 2009
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 70 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 12, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T92 Mason TX at 5:25 pm
- Destination: T82 Fredericksburg TX
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from KJCT, 34 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on February 24, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - from Flight Instructor | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 - from Student Pilot | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Supplementary Statement - Student Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Map 1 - Flight Path from T92 Airport to T82 Airport | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Map 2 - Approximate Accident Location | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1 - View of Tail Surfaces | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 2 - Damage to Tail - Left Side | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Photo 3 - Damage to Tail - Right Side | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Photo 4 - Damage to Tail - Top Left | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | FAA Record of Conversations with Flight Instructor and Student Pilot | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N23GX on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mason County · nearest airport
- Gillespie County · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,062 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,979 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN09LA189.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.