Amateur-built TD accident near Wichita Falls, Texas, August 20, 2022
On August 20, 2022 at about 6:31 pm local time, a 1998 amateur-built TD, registered N60JV, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Wichita Falls, Texas (Wichita Valley 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 inexperience with the airplane and inadequate takeoff procedures, which led to exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2022 · about 6:31 pm local time
- Place
- Wichita Falls, Texas · Wichita Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TD, built 1998
- Registration
- N60JV · registry record · serial V1004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot purchased the experimental, amateur-built airplane on the morning of the accident. He was planning to fly the airplane to his home airport in a different state. That morning, the previous owner and the pilot reviewed the maintenance logbooks, airplane characteristics, checklists, and examined the airframe and engine. After a thorough review, they started the engine and completed a run-up. The previous owner offered to stay in the airplane so the pilot could practice taking off and landing. The pilot declined and the previous owner exited the airplane. Witnesses observed the airplane align with the runway centerline and begin to accelerate. The pilot appeared to be making a 3-point takeoff with all the landing gear remaining on the runway surface. The airplane then became airborne at a slow speed and climbed to about 50-75 feet above ground level (agl). The airplane assumed a nose-high attitude and stalled as the left wing dropped down and collided with terrain adjacent to the runway; the airplane erupted into flames. The 87-year-old pilot had over 20,000 hours of total flight experience but had never flown the accident 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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › (general) › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: M27 Waldron AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,320 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from KSPS, 6 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KSPS 201752Z AUTO 16006KT 10SM CLR 34/20 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP136 T03390200 10339 20233 58006
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on August 7, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Investigative Supplemental Materials | PDF, 14 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversations | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Sidewinder Airplane Description | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
Other NTSB records under N60JV 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.