- Date
- August 28, 1999, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mack, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7011CNorth American SNJ-4 (AT-6)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990828027679A
- Case key
- 47261
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 misjudging his distance and altitude from the runway. A factor was the tall crops.
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 had landed at this airport 'at least a dozen times' in the past 15 years, and was aware of 'a low crop at the approach end of [runway] 25.' He said he had this same picture in his mind as he made his approach. When he was approximately 200 to 300 feet from the runway, he realized he was too low (the corn stalks were 8 to 10 feet tall). He applied power and up elevator, but the airplane contacted the corn stalks, settled to the ground, rolled a short distance, then nosed over.
Factual narrative
On August 28, 1999, approximately 1130 mountain daylight time, a North American SNJ-4 (AT-6), N7011C, operated by Loma Enterprises LLC, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during a landing approach and subsequent nose over at Mack Mesa Airstrip, Mack, Colorado. The commercial pilot received minor injuries but the single passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Walker Field, Grand Junction, Colorado, approximately 1100.
The pilot indicated in his accident report that he had landed at Mack Mesa Airport "at least a dozen times" in the past 15 years, and was aware of "a low crop at the approach end of [runway] 25." He said he had this same picture in his mind as he made his approach. When he was approximately 200 to 300 feet from the runway, he realized he was too low (the corn stalks were 8 to 10 feet tall). He applied power and up elevator, but the airplane contacted the corn stalks, settled to the ground, rolled a short distance, then nosed over. Both wings and the horizontal and vertical stabilizers were extensively damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7011C
- Reported as
- North American SNJ-4 (AT-6) (SNJ-4 (AT-)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 88-13805
- Airframe hours
- 5,821
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Loma Enterprises LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 5, 1999 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- GJT · Grand Junction, CO
- Destination
- 0CO5
- Airport
- 0CO5 · Mack Mesa, runway 25
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 675 in this make and model · 6 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GJT, 23 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.