Amateur-built DOUBLE EAGLE accident near Temple, Texas, October 16, 2010
On October 16, 2010 at about 2:00 pm local time, a amateur-built DOUBLE EAGLE, registered N132BE, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Temple, Texas (Charping airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 2010 · about 2:00 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Temple, Texas · Charping · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DOUBLE EAGLE
- Registration
- N132BE · registry record · serial B-64
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-certificated pilot had completed a touch-and-go maneuver in the amateur-built airplane when the engine began to lose power. The pilot attempted to complete a traffic pattern to the runway, but shortly thereafter the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot elected to perform an off-airport landing to a plowed field. The airplane’s wing struts were bent during the forced landing. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.
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 engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern base) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Failure other cases naming the engine
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Flight time: 200 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 79 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 10, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 1835 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5TA1 Temple TX at 1:45 pm
- Destination: 5TA1 Temple TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 2,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on November 17, 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 | PDF, 9 pages | 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
- N132BE on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Volkswagen 1835 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Charping Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,063 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,976 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11CA028.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.