Amateur-built CHALLENGER II accident near Crockett, Texas, March 21, 2014
On March 21, 2014 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built CHALLENGER II, registered N284DS, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Crockett, Texas (None airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane, resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 2014 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crockett, Texas · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II UNDESIGNAT, built 2013
- Registration
- N284DS · no longer on the register · serial CH2-0911-LSS-L65-019
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that as he made his approach, the airplane contacted the top strand of a wire and the right wing clipped a brush pile, resulting in a hard landing. He said the wind was gusty at the time. Both wings were punctured by tree branches and the lift struts and braces were buckled. The nose and left main landing gears had collapsed, buckling the fuselage. There was also a fabric tear in the vertical stabilizer. No pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures were reported by the pilot.
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
- Other weather encounter during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,198 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,082 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 23, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 13, 2014; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,060 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotex 582 DCDI (piston); 11 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Crockett TX at 6:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Crockett TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from DKR, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on April 14, 2014. 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 |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement to Texas Department of Public Safety | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1. N284DS Where It Came to Rest | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 2. Right Side of N284DS at the End of the Airstrip | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 3. Collapsed Left Main Landing Gear and Buckled Fuselage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 4. Collapsed Nosed and Left Main Landing Gears,buckled Struts and Tree Branches in Left Wing | 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.
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.