Amateur-built 360 accident near Orange, Texas, September 10, 2004
On September 10, 2004 at about 7:40 pm local time, a amateur-built 360, registered N163DS, was destroyed in an accident near Orange, Texas (Orange County 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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff resulting in an inadvertent stall and loss of aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2004 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Orange, Texas · Orange County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 360
- Registration
- N163DS · no longer on the register · serial 751
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A 642-hour pilot departed from an airfield and announced that he would be circling around the traffic pattern to make a low pass. A witness stated that he observed the airplane as it approached the runway with the landing gear extended. The witness described the airplane's speed as "moderate" as it passed over the runway at a height of 50 feet above the ground. As the airplane reached the end of the runway it began to climb at a pitch attitude of approximately 10-15 degrees. As the witness began to enter a building, he looked back toward the departure end of the runway and saw the airplane in a rapid descent. It was approximately 600 feet above the ground, the nose of the airplane was pitched down about 30 degrees, and it was in a 10-15 degree right bank. When the airplane was approximately 100-150 feet above the ground, the witness stated the airplane pitched up (about five degrees) and the wings leveled out, but it still continued to descend. The witness did not hear any engine noise during this time. The nose of the airplane continued to pitch up and it banked slightly to the left as it descended behind a tree line. He then heard the engine "roar to what sounded like full power," followed by the sound of an impact. The pilot's total flight time in the make and model could not be determined; however, it was determined that the pilot had recently purchased the airplane as the registration was still pending.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 642 hours in all; 515 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 9, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KORG Orange TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 4, 4,396 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KBPT, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N163DS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.