The Smart Marty Sky Dispatch
Pilot identified in fatal crash near Hicks Airfield in Fort Worth
Preliminary information indicated the airplane had engine issues and turned back toward Hicks Airfield before crashing,
The pilot killed in a Fort Worth single-plane crash has been identified as 67-year-old John Unangst, according to the report from Dallas News.
Video shot by a witness the morning of Oct. 7 shows the plane in flames in a patch of grass near Hicks Airfield, where Unangst was the sole occupant and died at the scene.
Preliminary information indicates the airplane, a low-wing Lancair IV-P, may have experienced engine issues and turned back toward Hicks Airfield before crashing, per the available details.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident and is expected to release more details in the coming weeks.
Hicks Airfield is described as lacking an air traffic control tower, a common arrangement for smaller airports, per the Federal Aviation Administration.
This event marks the second fatal aviation accident near Hicks Airfield in less than a year, with a separate incident in October 2025 involving a twin-engine King Air that resulted in two deaths near the airfield.