A man is dead after a plane crashed in an open pasture in a Fort Worth suburb.
At 5:50 p.m. on May 17, emergency crews were called to a crash site at the 4800 block of South Nolan River Road in a field south of Cleburne Regional Airport.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 41-year-old Joshua Bo Kirkpatrick.
According to National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson, the plane, an American Aviation AA-1A, was conducting low maneuvers when it allegedly fell nose down and crashed to the ground near Kirkpatricks home.
Records revealed that Kirkpatrick was the owner of the aircraft.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, Kirkpatrick received his student pilot certificate in 2018 and had no restrictions on his license other than the typical student restriction of no passengers.
The Texas Department of Public Safety stated that no passengers were aboard the two-seater plane.
According to FAA records, there are no previous crashes or incidents associated with the plane. However, if there were past occurrences and the aircraft’s registration number changed (often referred to as a tail number), the data may not show up in the aircraft’s basic history.
The accident will be investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
According to Knudson, a preliminary report is expected by June 1, but a full inquiry can take anywhere from 12 to 24 months.
Rafe Kirkpatrick, Joshua’s nephew, described his uncle as a provider, a family man, and someone he could communicate to without being judged. His nephew said Joshua and his family had recently moved into their Cleburne home.
“When he was around, he always did his best to make the best life for his family,” said Rafe to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “He’s done everything.”
