# Accident 19990508004819A: Amtr GLASAIRSH2R, St Johns, AZ, May 8, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 8, 1999, 07:50 local time - Place: St Johns, AZ - Airport: St Johns Industrial Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 34.5608° N, 109.3309° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5608&lon=-109.3309&mi=10 - Aircraft: N6DM (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: AMTR GLASAIRSH2R - Reported engine: LYC O320D2A - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 900 total, 31 in this make and model, 6 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99LA175](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA175) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990508004819A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT OVERSHOT THE RWY ON LANDING AND CRASHED INTO A FENCE, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES AE UNKNOWN. (FROM .19) ON MAY 8, 1999, AT 0750 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, AN AMATEUR BUILT EXPERIMENTAL GARRETT GLASAIR-SH-2R, N6DM, COLLIDED WITH A FENCE DURING A LANDING OVERRUN ON RUNWAY 32 AT ST. JOHN, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE PILOT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN FOR THE PERSONAL CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT PAYSON, AZ., AT AN UNKNOWN TIME, AND WAS DESTINED FOR PAMPA, TX. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS AT 12,000 FEET IN CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN HE SMELLED A SMOKE ODOR FROM THE COCKPIT AREA. HE THEN STATED THAT THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM A MICROSWITCH FOR THE CLUTCH. HE SAID HIS PASSENGER BECAME EXCITED AND HE ELECTED TO LAND AT ST. JOHN TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. DURING THE LANDING ATTEMPT HE SUBSEQUENTLY OVERSHOT RUNWAY 32, OVERRAN THE RUNWAY, AND COLLIDED WITH AN AIRPORT BOUNDARY FENCE. (.4)THE PILOT WAS ABOUT 35 MINUTES INTO A PLANNED CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT WHEN HE SMELLED A SMOKE ODOR FROM THE COCKPIT AREA, AND BEGAN TO SEE SMOKE COMING FROM A THE SWITCH WHICH CONTROLS THE FLAP MOTOR. THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND, AND ELECTED TO TURN OFF THE ELECTRICAL POWER AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. THE PILOT SAID HE MISJUDGED THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 3, SO HE TURNED THE POWER BACK ON, RESTARTED THE ENGINE, AND SET UP FOR AN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 32. AFTER DETERMINING THAT THE LANDING WAS ASSURED, HE AGAIN TURNED OFF THE ELECTRICAL AND ENGINE POWER AND GLIDED TO A LANDING ON RUNWAY 32. DURING THE LANDING, HE OVERSHOT THE TOUCHDOWN POINT, OVERRAN THE RUNWAY SURFACE, AND COLLIDED WITH AN AIRPORT BOUNDARY FENCE. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE WIRE SPLICES LEADING TO THE FLAP MOTOR WERE TOUCHING EACH OTHER AND ARCING, CAUSING THE SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. ADDITIONALLY, THE THREE-POSITION FLAP MOTOR SWITCH WAS EXAMINED. IN THE DOWN POSITION THE SWITCH IS SPRING LOADED TO RETURN TO NEUTRAL; HOWEVER, IN THE FLAPS UP POSITION, THE SWITCH MUST BE PHYSICALLY RETURNED TO THE NEUTRAL POSITION. THERE ARE NO LIMIT STOP PROXIMITY SWITCHES IN THE SYSTEM AND THE MOTOR WILL CONT INUE TO RUN IN EITHER THE UP OR DOWN DIRECTION IF THE COCKPIT SWITCH IS IN OTHER THAN THE NEUTRAL POSITION. THE FLAPS AFTER MOTOR HAD CONTINUE TO RUN AFTER THE PILOT RETRACTED THE FLAPS AFTER TAKEOFF, BUT DID NOT REPOSITION THE SWITCH TO THE NEUTRAL POSITION. THE OVERHEATED FLAP MOTOR WAS ANOTHER SOURCE OF HEAT AND SMOKE IN 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 LAX99LA175](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA175), May 8, 1999: Matter GLASAIR-SH-2R (N6DM), St. Johns, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot misjudging the distance/altitude while on final approach to the runway, which resulted in a landing overrun. Factors were the pilot's failure to position the flap switch to the neutral… 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.