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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2012 · about 5:53 pm local time
- 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA12CA393.