North American AT-6C accident near Delmar, Delaware, June 11, 2012
On June 11, 2012 at about 5:53 pm local time, a North American AT-6C, registered N7055K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Delmar, Delaware (Private Airstrip airport). It was a positioning 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 go around after not attaining the proper touchdown point, which resulted in a runway excursion and noseover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2012 · about 5:53 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Delmar, Delaware · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American AT-6C · all AT-6Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7055K · registry record · serial 50-709E
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, who was delivering the recently-sold vintage military trainer, he first landed the airplane at a paved airport near the new owner's farm. The new owner then asked the pilot to fly the airplane to a dirt airstrip on the farm. The pilot went to the airstrip with the new owner, determined that it was acceptable for landing, and later returned with the airplane. During the landing flare, the airplane floated due to, what the pilot later surmised, convective currents from the hot soil. The airplane subsequently touched down long and overran the end of the 1,380-foot airstrip. During the overrun, the airplane encountered a soft spot in the adjoining onion field and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical fin. The landing direction was to the north, while the nearest recorded airport weather indicated that the wind was from the east at 5 knots. There were no preexisting mechanical anomalies noted with the airplane.
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
- Landing area overshoot during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 19,530 hours in all; 119,612 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 11, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,975 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 2011; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SBY Salisbury MD at 5:40 pm
- Destination: NONE Delmar DE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,380 ft by 500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from SBY, 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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 2012. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 1 - Airplane Upside Down (Courtesy FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 2 - Partial View of Vertical Fin/rudder Damage (Courtesy FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 3 - Airplane During Recovery Hoist (Courtesy of Recovery Personnel) | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7055K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- North American AT-6 Texan 228 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- North American 1,297 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney R-1340-AN-1 64 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Delaware 116 since 1982 · 16 in the last ten years
- Delaware 10,962 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12CA393.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.