- Date
- September 3, 1992, 20:30 local (Sep 4, 1992, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Douglas, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4007HAyres S-2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920903035209A
- Case key
- 8656
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to check weather prior to the flight. A factor was the dark night.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight was 5 miles east of Douglas, when the pilot encountered moderate rain showers and thunderstorm activity. The pilot continued the flight to Douglas and attempted two landings. After the second attempt, the pilot abandoned efforts to land at Douglas and departed to alma. Rain reduced the pilot's ability to maintain visual contact, therefore, after locating a lighted prominent landmark, the pilot landed in a nearby plowed field. The airplane sustained substantial structural damage when the airplane collided with a ditch. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane. The pilot also did not receive a weather briefing prior to the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4007H
- Reported as
- Ayres S-2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2512R
- Airframe hours
- 5,346
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331-1, 600 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Souther Crop Spraying Inc.
- Registered owner
- Souther Crop Spraying Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 26, 1992 · 99 hours before
- Departed
- ALM · Alma, GA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 12,195 total · 290 in this make and model · 250 in the last 90 days · 160 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VLD, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.