Aero Vodochody L39C accident near Vernon, Texas, October 8, 2017
On October 8, 2017 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1984 Aero Vodochody L39C, registered N580LL, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Vernon, Texas (Wilbarger County airport). 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
An in-flight loss of control and collision with terrain for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2017 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Vernon, Texas · Wilbarger County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Vodochody L39C, built 1984 · all L39Cs on the register
- Registration
- N580LL · no longer on the register · serial 432921
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot of the jet trainer airplane departed on a local personal flight and flew for about an hour before returning to the airport. Witnesses saw the airplane make a high-speed pass over the runway at low altitude. Some thought the pilot may have been conducting a go-around. The airplane then entered a steep left bank, estimated to vary between 45° and 90°, then impacted the ground. The airplane was destroyed by impact and a postcrash fire, which precluded a thorough examination of its systems, including the flight controls; however, the engine displayed signatures of power production at the time of impact. Toxicology testing and autopsy of the pilot did not detect any impairing substances or identify significant physiological issues that may have resulted in incapacitation. It is likely that the pilot experienced an in-flight loss of control while maneuvering at low altitude; however, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined based on the available information.
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) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,124 hours in all; 8 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,441 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 8, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 10,028 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ivchenko AI-25TL (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: F05 Vernon TX at 5:45 pm
- Destination: F05 Vernon TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 5,099 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from KF05, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 11 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – The pilot boarding N580LL prior to the accident.
Photo 2 – N580LL taxiing for takeoff.
Photo 3 – The debris path was 580 feet long and aligned on a magnetic course about 170°. Remains of the left wing are to the left of the crater.
Photo 4 – Left main landing gear.
Photo 5 – Pilot’s seat and parachute.
Photo 6 – Inverted right wing, remains of cockpit, and landing gear.
Photo 7 – Right main landing gear and portions of cockpit instruments.
Photo 8 – Compressor section of engine.
Photo 9 – Empennage and vertical stabilizer.
Photo 10 – The engine.
Photo 11 – The pilot performing inverted flight NOT on the day of the accident.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on April 5, 2019. 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 | Witness Statements | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation, Trent Townson | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Electronic Devices - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Toxicology Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | NTSB Form 6120.15, Release of Wreckage Related to CEN18FA004 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Report Photos | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N580LL: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Aero Vodochody L-39 198 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aero Vodochody 218 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Ivchenko AI-25TL 78 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wilbarger County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,065 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,956 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN18FA004.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.