Starduster II

Full Narrative

On February 24, 2025, at 1430 central standard time, a Starduster II airplane, N78WT, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Azle, Texas. The private pilot and a passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
The pilot had flown the airplane earlier in the day and planned on flying the airplane in the airport traffic pattern at the time of the accident. He said the takeoff was normal and during the downwind to base leg turn for runway 15, the airplane became sluggish and was sinking. He said the left wing dropped severely, which he attributed to a tip stall. He corrected for the wing drop by applying right aileron and right rudder inputs. The left wing rose and then dropped again. He said the airplane was not equipped with a stall warning system. He advanced the engine throttle but did not feel a response. He said that he was not looking at the engine tachometer because he was looking at the airport. The airplane descended and impacted terrain. A postcrash fire ensued, which destroyed the airplane.
The airplane was retained for further examination.