# Accident 19980608016119A: Amtr ZMAX, Buckeye, AZ, June 8, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 8, 1998, 09:15 local time - Place: Buckeye, AZ - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 33.3797° N, 112.5492° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.3797&lon=-112.5492&mi=10 - Aircraft: N140FF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N140FF-2014-11-17) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Fones Frederick H Z-MAX 1300 (registry code 05605TV, https://openairdocs.org/model/fones-frederick-h-z-max-1300) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AMTR ZMAX - Reported engine: AMTR G50 - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Student - Pilot flight hours: 67 total, 37 in this make and model, 23 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA190](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA190) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980608016119A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON JUNE 8, 1998, AT 0915 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A FONES Z-MAX 1300, N140FF, COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN DURING AN OFF-AIRPORT LANDING APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES EAST OF THE BUCKEYE, ARIZONA, AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE BUCKEYE AIRPORT AT 0600. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AS HE WAS FLYING, THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO INCREASE AND HE DECIDED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD FOR SAFETY REASONS. THE PILOT LATER STATED TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL THAT HE DECIDED TO LAND IN THAT AREA SO HE COULD BUY A DRINK AT THE LOCAL GROCERY STORE. DURING THE FINAL APPROACH, THE PILOT BANKED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID A BARBED WIRE FENCE AND THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 1,200 FEET SHORT OF THE LANDING ZONE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED AN AREA OF HIGH BRUSH, NOSED OVER, AND BROKE IN HALF AFT OF THE COCKPIT. THE PILOT HOLDS A STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE/THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL DATED DECEMBER 3, 1993. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAS APPROXIMATELY 67 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME, INCLU DING 37 HOURS IN THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT. A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK. HE REPORTED THAT THE LOGBOOK SHOWED APPROXIMATELY 30 HOURS OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTION DATING BACK TO 1993, AS WELL AS A TAIL WHEEL ENDORSEMENT FROM A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR MADE APPROXIMATELY 5-6 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT HAS NO AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE, NOR IS THERE AN APPLICATION FOR ONE, ACCORDING TO THE PILOT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE THOUGHT THE AIRPLANE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE AN ULTRALIGHT, AND THEREFORE, NOT SUBJECT TO AIRPLANE REGULATIONS. THE FAA INSPECTOR CONDUCTED AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AND REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONSTRUCTED OF PLYWOOD. THE SEAT BELTS WERE OUT OF A CHEVY VAN AND WERE HELD TOGETHER WITH WOODEN SCREWS. THE SHOULDER HARNESSES WERE BACKPACK STRAPS. THERE WAS A COFFEE CAN WELDED TO THE EXHAUST WITH HOLES POKED IN IT. (.4) THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO INCREASE AND HE DECIDED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD. HE LATER STATED THAT HE LANDED IN THAT AREA SO HE COULD BUY A DRINK FROM THE LOCAL GROCERY STORE. DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT, THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED AN AREA OF HIGH BRUSH. THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER AND BROKE IN HALF AFT OF THE COCKPIT. THE PILOT HOLDS A STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE/THIRD CLASS MEDICAL DATED DECEMBER 3, 1993. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAS APPROXIMATELY 67 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME, INCLUDING 37 HOURS IN THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT. AN FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK AND REPORTED THAT THE LOGBOOK SHOWED APPROXIMATELY 30 HOURS OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTION DATING BACK TO 1993, AS WELL AS A TAIL WHEEL AIRCRAFT ENDORSEMENT MADE BY A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR APPROXIMATELY 5-6 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT HAS NO AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE, NOR IS THERE AN APPLICATION FOR ONE. THE FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE AIRCRAFT AND REPORTED THAT IT WAS CONSTRUCTED OF PLYWOOD AND FABRIC. THE INSPECTOR FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF ENGINE OVERHEATING. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE THE DRAWING PLANS OR LOGBOOKS FOR THE AIRCRAFT. (-23) PILOT CLAIMED TO BE FLYING FOR ONLY 15 MINUTES WHEN HE CLAIMED THAT THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT AND HE DECIDED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. THE PILOT TOLD THE FAA INSPECTOR THAT HE DEPARTED BUCKEYE AZ AT 0600 AND THE CALL TO 911 CAME IN AT 0915MST. THE AIRCRAFT HAD ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON A DIRT ROAD WHEN THE PILOT NOTICED A BARBED WIRE FENCE TO HIS RIGHT AND HE MOVED LEFT INTO THE TALL GRASS AND BRUSH. THE CROSS BAR ON THE LANDING GEAR BEGAN TO CUT DOWN BUSHES AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER AND LANDED ON THE CANOPY. THE AIRCRAFT THEN BROKE APART IN TWO PIECES AFT OF THE COCKPIT. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX98LA190](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA190), Jun 8, 1998: Fones Z-MAX 1300 (N140FF), Buckeye, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: the failure of the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft during the landing approach, and his poor in-flight planning in making an off-airport landing at an unsuitable landing area. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.