Rose PARRAKEET A-1 accident near Rhome, Texas, July 12, 2018
On July 12, 2018 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 1936 Rose PARRAKEET A-1, registered N14842, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Rhome, Texas (Fairview 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
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 2018 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rhome, Texas · Fairview Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rose PARRAKEET A-1, built 1936 · all PARRAKEET A-1s on the register
- Registration
- N14842 · no longer on the register · serial 102
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot had just departed from the airport when witnesses observed the airplane not climbing and about 100 ft above the ground. Another witness observed the airplane a nose-high attitude. The airplane was struggling to gain altitude before it banked "hard" to the right, entered a "sharp" nose-down attitude, and impacted a field near the airport. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The ground scarring at the accident site, the crush angle of the airframe, and the observed wing drop before the airplane's descent into terrain were consistent with an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a resulting aerodynamic stall.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff 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 › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-8FJ (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7TS0 Rhome TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,861 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from AFW, 9 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN18FA265.