- Date
- June 28, 2013, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Heth, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N455JMAyres S2R-T34
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 10, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Little Rock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130628010999A
- Case key
- 87352
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 partial collapse of the right main landing gear during landing due to an improper previous weld repair to the right main landing gear and subsequent corrosion, which resulted in a loss of directional control and impact with terrain.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During landing, the right main landing gear hit a pothole on the runway and partially collapsed, which resulted in the pilot's loss of directional control. The pilot's efforts to regain directional control were unsuccessful, and the airplane impacted terrain and came to rest upright in a ditch on the right side of the runway. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. A postaccident examination revealed undocumented, improper previous weld repairs to the right main landing gear, which led to undetected corrosion in that area.
Factual narrative
On June 28, 2013, at 1210 central daylight time, N455JM, an Ayres Corporation S2R-T34 single engine turbo propeller airplane impacted terrain during landing at Blackfish Airstrip, Heth, Arkansas. The pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to Humphrey B Flying, LLC; Terre Haute, Indiana, and was operated by Hutcherson Flying, Inc.; Forrest City, Arkansas. Day visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan had not been filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 agricultural flight. The pilot stated that during landing his right main landing gear hit a pothole on the runway and directional control was lost when the right main landing gear partially collapsed. The pilot's efforts to correct the veer were unsuccessful and the airplane impacted terrain and came to rest upright in a ditch on the right side of the runway. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. A postaccident examination disclosed undetected corrosion in area of previous weld repairs to the right main landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N455JM
- Reported as
- Ayres S2R-T34
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6016
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 13,306
- Engine
- P&W Canada PT6A-34AG, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Hutcherson Flying Inc, doing business as Hutcherson Flying Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Humphrey B Flying LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 12, 2013 · 72 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Heth, AR
- Destination
- NONE · Heth, AR
- Airport
- NONE · Blackfish Airstrip, runway 36, 1,800 × 30 ft, grass/turf
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 16, 2013
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 2,500 in this make and model · 125 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- KAWM, 13 nm away
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.