Consolidated Vultee BT-13A accident near Camas, Washington, April 21, 2021
On April 21, 2021 at about 10:13 pm local time, a 1941 Consolidated Vultee BT-13A, registered N53331, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Camas, Washington (Grove Fld airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during an aborted landing, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2021 · about 10:13 pm local time
- Place
- Camas, Washington · Grove Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Consolidated Vultee BT-13A, built 1941 · all BT-13As on the register
- Registration
- N53331 · no longer on the register · serial 1491
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was providing recurrent training to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. They had completed several takeoffs and landings at a nearby airport before returning to the departure airport. The first approach to the runway resulted in a go-around due to an unstable approach, and following the second approach, the pilot receiving instruction performed a three-point landing. During the landing roll, the airplane veered left and exited the runway, and the pilot applied full power and “immediately pitched up.” The airplane climbed in ground effect to about 30 ft, then entered a left turn, and its bank angle continued to increase before the airplane impacted terrain. The airplane came to rest adjacent to a hangar in a nose-low, near-vertical attitude. The pilot was fatally injured. The instructor added that, although he had been guarding the flight controls, due to the low altitude of the event, he did not have time to react before impact. Toxicology testing of the pilot receiving instruction detected diphenhydramine, a sedating antihistamine commonly available over the counter in a host of preparations intended to treat cold and allergy symptoms and to induce sleep. The range of levels where effects are expected are above 25 ng/ml, but the drug undergoes significant post-mortem redistribution and levels found in cavity blood likely do not accurately reflect antemortem levels. Although the pilot receiving instruction could have been impaired somewhat by the effects of a small amount of diphenhydramine in his system, some of those effects would have most likely been overcome by the adrenalin naturally produced in the emergency situation. It is therefore unlikely that the small amount of diphenhydramine contributed to the accident circumstances. The accident is consistent with the pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during an aborted landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 274 hours in all; 177 in this make and model; 160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,090 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 10,939 as pilot in command; 5,733 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 11, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,955.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 2021
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4S2 Hood River OR at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,710 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KTTD, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KTTD 212153Z VRB06KT 10SM CLR 24/00 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP148 T02390000
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 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 N53331 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 WPR21FA170.