Preliminary NTSB report released in crash that killed Tyler Francis
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board states Tyler Francis, the young, well known El Pasoan who died in a plane crash last month was flying a homebuilt, experimental aircraft he wasn’t very familiar with.
The 29-year-old owner of Francis Aviation was the pilot and the only one on the plane when it went down just outside the Las Cruces Airport on November 24th. Francis died at the scene.
According to the preliminary NTSB report, Francis was flying an “RV-3” aircraft that he had purchased two days before the crash. A friend of Francis told a federal inspector that Francis had no prior experience with that kind of aircraft before buying it. The report states- Francis had flown the plane about four hours from the time he bought it to when he crashed.
Witnesses said they saw the wings of the plane wobble before the left wing dropped and the plane began to spin.
Francis’ father is local bank executive Rick Francis and his grandfather is former El Paso Mayor Larry Francis. He is survived by his wife, who is pregnant with their first child.
Read Full Preliminary NTSB Report Below
NTSB Identification: CEN15LA059
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, November 24, 2014 in Las Cruces, NM
Aircraft: ROSS H/HERRIOTT M VANS AIRCRAFT RV 3, registration: N625ZH
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On November 24, 2014, about 0950 mountain standard time, N625ZH, an experimental-homebuilt Ross Vans Aircraft RV-3, sustained substantial damage shortly after takeoff from Las Cruces International Airport (LRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that was destined for Dona Ana County Airport, Santa Teresa, New Mexico. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector performed an on-scene examination of the airplane wreckage and interviewed several witnesses. According to the inspector, shortly after the airplane departed Runway 26, it was observed in a nose high attitude about 400 to 500-feet above the ground. The airplane then entered a steep 60 to 90-degree left bank. Witnesses observed the airplane’s wings “wobble” back and forth, before the airplane entered a steeper turn to the left. Then the airplane’s left wing dropped and the airplane began to spin. The airplane made 1 to 1.5 turns before it impacted a road in front of the airport’s terminal building. The witnesses said the airplane’s engine was operating until the airplane hit the ground. There was no post-impact fire.
A friend of the pilot told the FAA inspector that the pilot had purchased the airplane two days before the accident and had no previous flight experience in an RV-3. He estimated that from the time the pilot purchased the airplane up until the time of the accident, he had flown the airplane about 4.0 hours.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single and multi-engine land and instrument airplane. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Second Class medical certificated was issued on August 28, 2014. At that time, the pilot reported a total of 1,000 flight hours.
