Nanchang CJ-6A accident near Edgewood, Texas, January 21, 2001
On January 21, 2001 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Nanchang CJ-6A, registered N6373S, was destroyed in an accident near Edgewood, Texas. It was a personal 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
the pilot's failure to maintain obstacle clearance with the tower guy wire while the airplane was in cruise flight. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to update his navigation chart with the location of the tower during his preflight planning/preparation. In addition, a contributing factor was the pilot's intentional flight of the airplane at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 2001 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Edgewood, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Nanchang CJ-6A · all CJ-6As on the register
- Registration
- N6373S · no longer on the register · serial 3732019
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the day VFR cross-country flight, the experimental-exhibition airplane was destroyed when it struck a tower guy wire while in cruise flight, and subsequently impacted the ground. The point of contact/paint transfers were on the third (7/16 inch diameter) cable, down from the top of the tower, at 273 feet agl and approximately 20 feet laterally from the northwest side of the tower. The visibility was 10 statute miles below the 3,300 feet overcast. The leading edge of the left wing and the left wing spar exhibited physical evidence of contact with the cable. A section of the left wing outboard leading edge skin was found near the base of the tower. No anomalies were found that would have contributed to a loss of engine power or flight control prior to impact with the tower cable. The lights on the tower were operating at the time of the accident. The tower was not depicted on the current Dallas-Fort Worth Sectional Aeronautical Chart, 65th edition, effective October 5, 2000, found in the aircraft wreckage. The sectional had an aeronautical information cut-off date of August 10, 2000. The tower corporation filed FAA Form 7460-2 indicating that the tower structure reached its greatest height on September 12, 2000. On September 25, 2000, the FAA Aeronautical Chart Division, Obstacle Evaluation Section received the FAA Form 7460-2, and the tower was entered into the Digital Obstacle File on October 2, 2000. The latitude/longitude and obstruction height of the tower were published in the Airport/Facility Directory/Aeronautical Chart Bulletin effective November 30, 2000 to January 25, 2001.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all
- Last flight review: July 24, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,361 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 10, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: China Housai-6A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSA Mount Pleasant TX at 8:45 pm
- Destination: ALM Alamogordo NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,300 ft; a few clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.38 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from TYR, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.