- Date
- June 14, 1991, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Deming, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N44970Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910614034859A
- Case key
- 18100
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 maintain directional control. Factors were: a crosswind condition and a soft shoulder alongside the runway.
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 pilot and his brother were ferrying the newly restored airplane from California to Georgia. They departed tucson, AZ, and were landing at Deming, NM, for fuel. The tetrahedron was pointing to the north and the pilot observed traffic landing on runway 4. The pilot said after touching down, the airplane swerved to the right and the tail started to come up 'as if a sudden gust of wind had picked it up and pushed it in that direction.' The pilot attempted to correct with opposite rudder but to no avail. The airplane departed the side of the runway into soft dirt and overturned.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44970
- Reported as
- Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1956
- Engine
- P&W R985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Grigoriou, Christos I.
- Registered owner
- Grigoriou, Christos I.
- Departed
- RYN · Tucson, AZ
- Airport
- DMN · Deming Municipal, runway 4, 5,657 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,696 total · 13 in this make and model · 2,631 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N44970 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.