- Date
- September 14, 1985, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Midland, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N91460Ryan Navion
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850914074829A
- Case key
- 21849
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt experienced eng failure during climbout from sky ranch arpt at Midland, TX. He then turned into the wind and made a forced landing in a pasture. Subsequent investigation revealed a connecting rod had broken, however, the cause of the rod failure was undetermined. The plt had already retracted the landing gear and made an intentional gear up landing onto wet terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91460
- Reported as
- Ryan Navion
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NAV-4-273
- Airframe hours
- 820
- Engine
- Continental E185, 185 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Billie G. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1985
- Departed
- MAF · Midland, TX
- Airport
- 7TX6 · Sky Ranch
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 1,460 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MAF, 1 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.