Amateur-built CHALLENGER II accident near Friona, Texas, April 16, 2018
On April 16, 2018 at about 2:00 am local time, a 1996 amateur-built CHALLENGER II, registered N635DT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Friona, Texas (Hefner Farms airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight impact with terrain for reasons that could not be determined due to a lack of evidence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 2018 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Friona, Texas · Hefner Farms · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II SPECIAL, built 1996
- Registration
- N635DT · no longer on the register · serial CH20295CW1294
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and the student pilot departed at sunset on a local flight in the airplane from a private airstrip adjacent to the flight instructor's home. About 25 minutes after takeoff, the flight instructor's sister was about 3 miles from the airstrip and observed the airplane fly over her position about 3 miles from the airstrip. She reported that the airplane was low, but nothing seemed unusual and both pilots waved to her. When the airplane did not return to the airstrip, the flight instructor's wife reported it overdue. The wreckage was located early the following morning. There were no known witnesses to the accident. Postaccident airframe and engine examinations did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. In the absence of any witnesses, or an identified preimpact failure or malfunction with respect to the airplane, the investigation was unable to determine the cause of the impact with the terrain. The student pilot's toxicology testing was positive for dextrorphan and doxylamine in liver tissue but not in cavity blood; however, the levels present were far too low to have had any significant effects.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 632.4 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 12.1 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 599.7 as pilot in command; 241.6 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 11, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 189 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7TS9 Bovina TX at 1:20 am
- Destination: 7TS9 Bovina TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 1,700 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 am from CVN, 15 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 April 4, 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 | Statement - Flight Instructor's Wife | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Statement - Flight Instructor's Sister | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Statement - Previous Airplane Owner | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Statement - Local Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Accident Photos | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Airplane Examination Summary | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Airplane Maintenance Records | PDF, 19 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Airplane Bill of Sale - December 2006 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Sun-moon Data | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Toxicological Reports | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.