- Date
- January 30, 2001, 16:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Worth, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N425VSchmidt Questair Venture
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010130002469A
- Case key
- 51413
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 during the landing roll. Factors were the crosswind and soft terrain condition.
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 landed the airplane on runway 34R with a left crosswind. Immediately after the nose landing gear touched down, the airplane veered toward the left side of the runway. In an attempt to correct, the pilot applied maximum right rudder and brake. The airplane exited the left side of the runway, contacted soft ground, and the nose landing gear strut brace broke. As the nose of the airplane dug into the ground, the left wing tip dug into the dirt, and the left wing separated from the airplane. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. According to the pilot, the wind at the time of the accident was from 300 degrees at 14 knots. The reported wind at the airport 8 minutes after the accident was from 300 degrees at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On January 30, 2001, at 1645 central standard time, a Schmidt Questair Venture single-engine experimental airplane, N425V, was substantially damaged after it impacted terrain during landing roll at the Fort Worth Mecham International Airport near Fort Worth, Texas. The airline transport pilot, sole occupant of the aircraft, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight departed the Fort Worth Mecham International Airport at 1615.
According to the pilot's written statement, he landed the airplane on runway 34R with a left crosswind. Immediately after the nose landing gear touched down, the airplane veered toward the left side of the runway. In an attempt to correct, the pilot applied maximum right rudder and brake. The airplane exited the left side of the runway, contacted soft ground, and the nose landing gear strut brace broke. As the nose of the airplane dug into the ground, the left wing tip dug into the dirt, and the left wing separated from the airplane. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
According to the pilot, the wind at the time of the accident was from 300 degrees at 14 knots.
At 1653, the Fort Worth weather observation facility reported the wind was from 300 degrees at 10 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N425V
- Reported as
- Schmidt Questair Venture
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- BS-1
- Airframe hours
- 128
- Engine
- PMA 550-TTV, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert E. Schmidt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2000 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- FTW · Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- Fort Worth, TX
- Airport
- FTW · Fort Worth Mecham, runway 34R, 7,501 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- June 15, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 30,291 total · 130 in this make and model · 25,000 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.