Consolidated-Vultee BT-13A accident near Brookings, Oregon, May 26, 1996
On May 26, 1996 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Consolidated-Vultee BT-13A, registered N56642, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brookings, Oregon (Brookings State airport). It was a personal 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 misjudgment of distance/speed during the approach to landing, his failure to attain a proper touchdown point for landing, and his failure to perform a go-around, while there was sufficient runway and airspeed remaining. The tailwind was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1996 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brookings, Oregon · Brookings State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Consolidated-Vultee BT-13A
- Registration
- N56642 · registry record · serial 6097
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was performing take-offs and landings in his World War II vintage aircraft. He stated that the wind direction reversed and became gusty, while he was in the traffic pattern for another landing on runway 12. The pilot elected to continue the approach and landing. He stated that when he realized he had a tail wind, it was 'too late for go-around.' He elected to veer the airplane off to one side of the runway into brush rather than continue off the opposite end of the runway and down a bluff. The right wing of the airplane impacted a fir tree. The airplane then spun around, and the left wing struck a tree stump. No preimpact mechanical deficiency was reported.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,805 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1995; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ACV Arcata CA
- Destination: BOK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.