Hopefully the last sad news of the year...
From ANN
One Dead, Another Injured In TX Stearman Accident
Holiday Ride Turns Tragic For Brothers
One brother was killed
and another critically injured Monday afternoon when their vintage
1940 PT-17 Stearman biplane went down near Hicks Field, northwest of Fort Worth, TX.
Pilot Raymond Kraft, of Melbourne, FL was killed in the
accident. According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, he was
visiting his brother, Robert, for the holidays when they decided to
go for a ride in Robert's Stearman.
According to witnesses -- including family members who saw the
accident -- the brothers had just completed a series of aerobatic
maneuvers and was lifting off after performing a touch-and-go when
the aircraft went down.
The aircraft was turning to the left when it suddenly took a
"nose-down position," according to Tarrant County Chief Deputy Jay
Six, and impacted the ground approximately 250 yards east of the
airfield.
Robert Kraft based the Stearman at the field.
According to the Star-Telegram, Raymond Kraft worked for New
Piper Aircraft in Vero Beach, FL. Robert Kraft -- who was seriously
injured in the accident -- recently retired from Fort Worth-based
American Airlines.
Six told the newspaper the plane the brothers were flying was in
"pristine condition."
"It was a beautiful, well-maintained aircraft with military
markings," Six said. "[Robert Kraft] obviously took a lot of pride
in it."
FAA and NTSB investigators are looking into the cause of the
accident.
********************************************************************************
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 67195
Make/Model: PT17 Description: BOEING
STEARMAN A75N1 PT17
Date: 12/26/2005 Time: 2138
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury:
Fatal Mid Air: N Missing:
N
Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
City: FORT WORTH State: TX Country:
US
DESCRIPTION
ACFT CRASHED INTO A FIELD UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE
WERE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD, ONE WAS FATALLY INJURIED AND ONE
WAS SERIOUSLY INJURIED, THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED, HICKS FIELD,
FORT WORTH, TX
INJURY DATA Total
Fatal: 1
# Crew: 2 Fat:
1 Ser:
1 Min:
0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat:
0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
# Grnd:
Fat: 0 Ser:
0 Min:
0 Unk:
WEATHER: NOT REPORTED
OTHER DATA
Departed: HICKS, FORT WORTH,
T Dep
Date: Dep.
Time:
Destination: HICKS FORT
WORTH,TX Flt
Plan:
Wx Briefing:
Last Radio Cont:
Last Clearance:
FAA FSDO: FORT WORTH, TX
(SW19)
Entry date: 12/27/2005
FMI:
www.ntsb.gov