Thunder Mustang Crashes Outside of San Antonio

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Breaking news not far from here...

Report: Plane crashes near Government Canyon

By Van Darden

Web - News Editor

GOVERNMENT CANYON -- San Antonio firefighters and first responders have located an airplane debris field near where a small plane crash was reported west of San Antonio in Government Canyon Wednesday.

According to firefighters, the call came in from a cell phone from someone in the area around 4:30 p.m.

First responders were still searching for any possible victims though early evening hours.

According to "FlightAware," a website that tracks flight plans and airplane registration information, the registered owner of the plane is Thomas Baber of Helotes.

Wesley Snapp lives approximately 3 to 4 miles away. "I didn't actually see or witness the plane go down, but it was basically down in a dive," said Snapp.

Snapp said typically planes don't travel as low as what he saw. Snapp said he initially thought the plane was "being reckless."

It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured.

http://www.thundermustang.com

(Not the plane that crashed)

From Wikipedia...

There were a total of 37 complete or partial kits produced including the prototype. Of these 37, 27 were delivered as complete kits including the Falconer engine. Two have Walter turbines installed and presently flying.

Four Thunder Mustangs have competed at the Reno Air Races. John Parker has recorded lap speeds of more than 355 mph on the racecourse using the normally aspirated Falconer engine. George Giboney posted lap speeds of 397 mph with his supercharged version of the Falconer engine during the 2010 races with level flight top speed of more than 415 mph.

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Update.

SAFD confirms to KENS 5 there are no possible survivors but cannot confirm how many people were on board. Neighbors report seeing a plane "being reckless" as it flew low near tree tops.

Of course, we all know how these "witnesses" are...

Pilot was local.

[bucky60k]

Aircraft pictured was out of Boerne Stage and was the 2nd Prototype built. They are truly awesome machines. RIP.

[frog]

That is not a good area to have a problem - very rough terrain (for Texas at least).

[M2]

That is not a good area to have a problem - very rough terrain (for Texas at least).

Yep, used to mountain bike in the back country of Govt Canyon until the joints could no longer take the punishment. The sad thing is Geronimo Air Park is not too far away if he had a mechanical issue...

An update...they still aren't identiying the pilot but most likely it was the owner...

Eyewitness, neighbor of plane crash victim says pilot was very experienced

A deadly plane crash in Government Canyon State Natural Area, northwest of San Antonio, has led to a federal investigation. Bexar County officials said it appears only the pilot was in the plane at the time.

The plane was registered to Thomas Baber of Helotes, Texas. KENS 5 has not confirmed the identify of the victim.

Eyewitness News spoke to Jim Crane who not only saw the plane go down, but is also a neighbor of the pilot.

"I never thought I'd see something like this," said Jim Crane.

It's not easy for Jim Crane to talk about it, but he said he saw the very moment his neighbor crashed his small plane into the rugged terrain of Government Canyon.

Crane said his neighbor was doing an "inside loop" maneuver. It's a move the pilot has been seen doing countless of times before.

"At the top of the loop as he's coming back down he would normally level off and fly back in the opposite direction of the valley," said Crane. "In this case he went below the hill behind us. My mother and I were not yelling, but saying 'pull up pull up' and then we heard the thud."

A fellow pilot himself, Crane knew there was no way anyone could survive the crash. First responders said the wreckage from the plane spreads several hundred feet.

"We were looking for survivors and hoping for survivors and hoping to have a rescue but that wasn't possible," said SAFD Battalion Chief Jacob Mendiola.

Crane said many people have seen his neighbor fly the area on a regular basis. Crane wants everyone to know, his neighbor was an experienced pilot and that it's unfair to speculate he was doing anything risky Wednesday.

"I don't want his family to live with that thought, I don't want an investigation to be based on a reckless situation because it was not, it was anything but that," said Crane. "This was a maneuver I had seen him do countless times."

Federal investigators will arrive on scene Thursday and will conduct their investigation.

[Cap-10]

It was Tom Baber.

He was a River Rat with Ralph Parr pack out of Randolph AFB.

Nickel on the grass!!

Cap-10

[DFRESH]

"I didn't actually see or witness the plane go down, but it was basically down in a dive," said Snapp.

Uh, what?

RIP brother. Nickel on the grass!

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Friends Mourn Fallen Pilot

RIP.

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NTSB preliminary findings say engine failure not a factor in crash...

On February 25, 2015, about 1624 central standard time, an experimental amateur-built Rose Thunder Mustang, N7TR, was destroyed when it impacted terrain about 2 miles southwest of Helotes, Texas. The commercial pilot received fatal injuries. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed.

The local flight departed from the Boerne Stage Field Airport (5C1), San Antonio, Texas, at an unknown time. A witness who lived about .5 mile northeast of the accident site reported that he initially heard and then observed the airplane approaching from the northeast and flying to the southwest about 600 feet above ground level. The area the airplane was overflying was unpopulated and near the Government Canyon State Natural Area.

When the airplane had flown about .5 miles to the southwest, he observed the nose of the airplane go straight up while simultaneously banking 90 degrees to the left. The airplane became fully inverted and then began to descend in a left bank. The witness reported that he expected to see the airplane pull up and level off at its original altitude and depart to the northeast as he had seen the airplane do many times before. However, this time, the airplane continued to descend nearly straight down until he lost sight of the airplane behind a hill and trees, and he heard a "thud" moments later.

He reported that the engine was producing full power throughout the maneuver and he heard no indication of a momentary loss of engine power. There was no postimpact ground fire. The witness reported that he lived in the same neighborhood as the accident pilot and had previously seen the pilot perform similar maneuvers in the past.

The airplane impacted hard, rocky terrain that contained juniper, mesquite, and oak trees. The debris field was found on a 015 degree magnetic heading. A majority of the fragmented wreckage of the composite airplane was located within 300 feet of the initial impact point. Flight control cable continuity was not established due to the numerous control cable breaks and fragmented control surfaces. All cable breaks exhibited "broom straw" type fractures.

The 640- horsepower Ryan Falconer V-12 engine was found about 730 feet north-northeast from the initial impact point. A visual examination of the engine revealed that the intake manifold, ignition harness, reduction gearbox, and propeller were separated from the engine. All spark plugs were damaged or sheared off during impact. There was no evidence of a preimpact breach in the engine crankcase. The oil pan was separated during impact exposing the power section. The engine including the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, and cylinders were examined and there was no evidence of lubrication distress or heat distress.