A Witness... Stated That He Observed The Airplane “Going Straight Down.”

Location: Cleburne, TX Accident Number: CEN21FA290
Date & Time: June 24, 2021, 17:14 Local Registration: N9261L
Aircraft: American Aviation AA-1A Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On June 24, 2021 at 1714 central daylight time, an American Aviation AA-1A airplane, N9261L, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Cleburne, Texas. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

Preliminary radar and ADS-B data showed that the airplane departed Cleburne Regional Airport (CPT), about 1658 and proceeded south, then northeast toward Keene, Texas. After the airplane made one full circle over Keene, it proceeded west and overflew CPT. The airplane continued west about 2,600 ft mean sea level (msl) for another 3 miles. During the last 10 seconds of the recorded data, the flight track showed a hard right turn followed by a left descending spiral toward the ground.

A witness who was located about 1/2 mile south of the accident site, stated that he observed the airplane “going straight down,” but he did not see it impact the ground. The airplane was located in a field next to a gravel road.

All major components of the airplane were found at the accident site with the main wreckage. The engine remained partially attached to the airframe and sustained significant impact damage. The propeller remined attached to the crankshaft flange via two bolts. The propeller blades exhibited damage and scoring on the blade faces. One blade was bent aft about mid span with no leading edge damage. The other blade was mostly straight and exhibited leading edge gouges and chordwise scratches near the tip. The sliding canopy frame was found separated from the fuselage and the plexiglass was fractured and scattered around the area.

An engine data monitor was retained for data extraction and analysis.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov