Amateur-built CELEBRITY accident near Terrell, Texas, March 4, 2013
On March 4, 2013 at about 10:25 pm local time, a amateur-built CELEBRITY, registered N70785, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (aerobatics) near Terrell, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s design stress limits while performing aerobatic maneuvers.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2013 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Terrell, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CELEBRITY
- Registration
- N70785 · no longer on the register · serial AV1057
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane performing a series of loops and rolls and then sections of the wings separating from the airplane before it descended and impacted terrain. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the wing failure initiated at the bottom of the right outboard forward wing strut. This failure allowed the right upper wing to rise, which placed an overload stress on the upper wing spar and bottom right wing. The top wing spar separated in the area left of the fuselage struts. The entire upper wing and lower right wing folded up and rearward and then separated from the airplane. All of the separations were consistent with overload failures, indicating that the pilot exceeded the airplane's design stress limits while performing aerobatic maneuvers.
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
- Aircraft structural failure during maneuvering (aerobatics) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Dynamic load › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › (general) › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,122 hours in all
- Last flight review: September 27, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 195.3 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, January 18, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-240 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KTRL Mesquite TX
- Destination: KTRL Mesquite TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.63 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from TRL, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.