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.
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N54517
- History of Flight:
On May 26, 2026, at about 0810 local time, a privately-registered Fokker DR.I replica, N54517, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident at Aero Estates Airpark (T25), Frankston, Texas. The private pilot was fatally injured. The local flight was originating at the time.
The FAA reported that: "Aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances and post crash fire." There is no ADS-B data coverage for the accident flight.
According to the airpark manager, the pilot was testing out the aircraft and attempted an "impossible turn" following engine trouble. The manager did not see the accident himself, but stated that multiple witnesses reportedly saw the pilot do a couple of passes before making the impossible turn and "did not have enough altitude to make a proper landing."
- Pilot Information:
The pilot, aged 59, held a private pilot certificate (last issued/updated 3/10/2024) with a rating for airplane single engine land. His third class FAA medical was issued on October 2023, with a note that he must use corrective lens(es) to meet vision standards at all required distances. The pilot also held a gyroplane sport endorsement.
- Airplane Information:
The accident aircraft, serial number 001, was manufactured in 2019 by a private individual. Airdrome Aeroplanes out of Holden, Missouri, provided the kit used for the accident aircraft. The airplane was powered by a single Rotec R3600 radial engine.
The reported stall speed was 32 mph (~27 knots).
- Wreckage and Impact Information:
The airplane came to rest upright, and nose down in a relatively open area. The wreckage consisted of the entire airplane, both wings and tail remained attached to the airframe, which was largely consumed by a post crash fire. There was no debris field leading to the main wreckage. The impact appears consistent with a low altitude aerodynamic stall/spin with little to no forward airspeed.
- Airport Information:
The Aero Estates Airpark (T25) is a public airport located 3 miles northeast of Frankston, Texas. The airpark field elevation was 445 ft. The airpark features a single turf runway 9/27 which is 3100 x 60 ft. There are numerous buildings and trees surrounding the airpark.
- Weather:
METAR KTYR 261253Z 08007KT 10SM SCT120 23/19 A2993 RMK AO2 SLP127 T02280194
METAR KTYR 261353Z 13005KT 10SM BKN012 23/19 A2995 RMK AO2 SLP133 T02330194
The calculated density altitude at KTYR was ~1611 ft.
- Additional Information:
According to the FAA Airplane Flying Handbook (3C) Chapter 18:
Engine Failure After Takeoff (Single-Engine) A number of variables and pilot actions factor into a successful emergency landing shortly after takeoff. When an engine failure occurs during the initial climb, the pilot should lower the nose of the airplane and establish the proper glide attitude. What happens next if the engine does not restart? Does the pilot select a field directly ahead (or slightly to the side of the takeoff path) or should the pilot turn back toward the point of departure? There's not much time to decide and a lot to consider.
Continuing straight ahead or making a slight turn gives the pilot time to establish a safe landing attitude, and the landing occurs under control and as slowly as possible (assuming a takeoff made into a headwind). This minimizes the risk of injury and usually represents the option with the lowest risk—i.e. the safest option. Turning back requires a more complex analysis and consideration of risk. At some urban airports, there may be numerous hazards in the departure path. In that case, the pilot might turn back, but only if certain the airplane can reach the field from its current position and the pilot has trained and practiced the turn back maneuver.
Turning back to an airport after a low-altitude engine failure, also known as “the impossible turn,” presents many challenges, and a pilot who attempts to turn back without due consideration and training will need considerable luck to prevent disaster. If the airplane strikes the ground during the turn, cartwheeling could occur. If the pilot does not lower the nose sufficiently during the turn, an accelerated stall and fatal crash may occur. Even after executing a successful turn, a return to the airport often results in a downwind approach. The increased groundspeed could rush a pilot not properly trained for landing downwind. The increased groundspeed and associated increase in kinetic energy also raise the likelihood of serious injury if unable to make the field.
If considering a turn back to the runway following an engine failure on takeoff, the pilot should know the expected altitude loss during the turn for the specific make and model airplane as well as whether the airplane can physically glide back to the field after executing the turn. Traditionally, the FAA has given the following example. An airplane has taken off and climbed to an altitude of 300 feet above ground level (AGL) when the engine fails. After a typical 4-second reaction time, the pilot elects to turn back to the runway. Using a standard rate (3° change in direction per second) turn, it takes 1 minute to turn 180°. At a glide speed of 65 knots, the radius of the turn is 2,100 feet, so at the completion of the turn, the airplane is 4,200 feet to one side of the runway. The pilot needs to turn another 45° to head the airplane toward the runway. By this time, the total change in direction is 225° equating to 75 seconds plus the 4-second reaction time. If the airplane in a power-off glide descends at approximately 1,000 fpm, it has descended 1,316, feet placing it 1,016 feet below the runway.
The preceding example illustrates why a turn back, if attempted, requires a turn with a higher bank angle. A standard rate or shallow turn consumes too much time, requires too much distance, and generates an unacceptable solution.
Training for a turn back includes practicing turns in both directions at a safe altitude in the make and model flown after simulating an engine failure from a climb. Practice should result in consistent altitude loss and the ability to avoid an accelerated stall when executing a gliding steep turn. Pilots should be alert for and respond appropriately to any stall warning and reduce wing loading during the turn as necessary. There will be some observed variation in altitude loss during training. The pilot should anticipate that during an actual emergency, the expected altitude loss could end up at the high end of the range observed while practicing. Success in training involves the demonstrated ability to evaluate the effect of climb performance of the airplane, determine the better direction to turn back (usually into a crosswind), predict the altitude above ground after the turn, know the distance to the landing zone, and know if the glide performance of the airplane will allow the pilot to make the field. Some airplanes cannot usually make the return successfully, some can make the return under certain conditions, and some can usually return. The pilot should not attempt a turn back unless a successful turn back will result.
A turn back to the departure runway may require more than a 180° change in direction. There could also be cases where turning back results in overshooting the runway, and the pilot needs to sense the aiming point within seconds after completing a turn back and make any necessary adjustments to achieve the best possible outcome. A turn back at low altitudes presents an unacceptable risk for student pilots, low-time pilots, untrained pilots, pilots without adequate proficiency, and pilots flying airplanes with insufficient glide performance to return to the field. However, experienced pilots interested in knowing when and how to make an emergency turn back after takeoff should use the services of an authorized flight instructor who can explain and demonstrate the practicality (or impracticality) of “the impossible turn” in the specific make and model used during training.
