- Date
- April 15, 1993, 18:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Searcy, AR
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2150WBeech C23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930415009429A
- Case key
- 18729
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 improper flare and his improper recovery for a bounced landing. The crosswind and the pilot's improper compensation for the wind were factors.
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
A pilot landing on runway 19 failed to compensate for the existing crosswind resulting in a hard landing. While attempting to abort the landing, the airplane was observed assuming an exaggerated nose high attitude after he became airborne. Control was lost and the left wing impacted the ground between the runway and a parallel taxiway. A witness reported the winds to be from 225 degrees at 8 knots. The pilot stated that 'an extreme 90 degree crosswind gust was blowing the airplane off the runway.
Factual narrative
On April 15, 1993, at approximately 1845 central daylight time, a Beech C23, N2150W, was substantially damaged while landing at the Searcy Municipal Airport, near Searcy, Arkansas. The private pilot and his passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the ferry flight.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane was recently purchased by the Coastal Carolina Aero Club, and was being ferried from Seattle, Washington, to Ocean Isle Beach, in North Carolina.
According to a witness at the airport, the airplane was observed in the traffic pattern for runway 19 flying at low speed. The witness added that the airplane was in a level attitude at approximately ten to twelve feet off the runway surface when it dropped, landed hard, bounced once, and rolled for some distance before the pilot added power to attempt to abort the landing. The witness further stated that during the attempted aborted landing, the airplane was observed in an exaggerated nose high attitude until control was lost. He estimated that the winds were blowing from the southwest at 8 knots.
The pilot stated that after the wheels touched down on the runway, "an extreme 90 degree crosswind gust was blowing the airplane off the runway." He added that he attempted to make a go around and was airborne before control was lost.
The left wing impacted the grass area between the runway and a parallel taxiway. Post accident inspection of the airframe revealed that in addition to the left wing spar being separated from the fuselage, the left main landing gear, nose landing gear, and propeller were also damaged.
The wreckage was verbally released to the owner's representative by the Federal Aviation Administration inspector at the accident site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2150W
- Reported as
- Beech C23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-1576
- Airframe hours
- 1,546
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4J, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Coastal Carolina Aero Club
- Registered owner
- Coastal Carolina Aero Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1992 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- PWA · Oklahoma City, OK
- Airport
- M07 · Searcy Municipal, runway 19, 5,000 × 75 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
- 69
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 120 total · 120 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 13 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LRF, 31 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.