- Date
- March 7, 2015, 20:20 local (Mar 8, 2015, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Walters, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N299BHJones Ronald C Bearhawk
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report May 13, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20150307003749A
- Case key
- 90848
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 did not maintain control of the airplane during the landing roll at night on an unlit grass strip.
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
The pilot reported that he was inbound to his unlit private grass strip at night. He sat in the right seat and maneuvered the airplane to land on runway 17. He reported a slight crosswind from the left. When the airplane touched down on the up sloping runway, it bounced once and then settled onto the runway. The passenger heard a "crunch" sound when the landing gear hit a bump in the runway. The airplane veered to the right and the pilot was unable to maintain the runway centerline. The airplane continued to the right and impacted a barbed wire fence about 115 feet from the runway. The left main landing gear separated from the airplane and the right wing sustained substantial damage. The left brake line was found separated. The pilot reported that there was no forward visibility in this airplane during ground operations. He also stated that his failure to maintain control of the airplane contributed to the outcome. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain directional control while landing on the unlit grass strip at night with no forward visibility.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was inbound to his unlit private grass strip at night. He sat in the right seat and maneuvered the airplane to land on runway 17. He reported a slight crosswind from the left. When the airplane touched down on the up sloping runway, it bounced once and then settled onto the runway. The passenger heard a "crunch" sound when the landing gear hit a bump in the runway. The airplane veered to the right and the pilot was unable to maintain the runway centerline. The airplane continued to the right and impacted a barbed wire fence about 115 feet from the runway. The left main landing gear separated from the airplane and the right wing sustained substantial damage. The left brake line was found separated. The pilot reported that there was no forward visibility in this airplane during ground operations. He also stated that his failure to maintain control of the airplane contributed to the outcome.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N299BH
- Reported as
- Jones Ronald C Bearhawk
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 064-121-122-930
- Built
- 2011
- Airframe hours
- 600
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A4-40, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronald C Jones
- Registered owner
- Ronald C Jones
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 1, 2014
- Departed
- GTU · Georgetown, TX
- Destination
- OK12 · Walters, OK
- Airport
- OK12 · Jones Farm Field, runway 17, 2,130 × 75 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Angle of attack indicator, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 5,098 total · 600 in this make and model · 4,939 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KLAW, 12 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 27, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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.