- Date
- May 12, 1997, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hondo, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1619SSnow S2C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 7, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970512009939A
- Case key
- 20216
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 while landing.
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
According to the operator, the pilot lost directional control of the airplane after executing a wheel landing on the centerline of runway 17L. The airplane was observed exiting the right side of the runway, and remained in a right turn after exiting the runway. The left main landing gear collapsed within 30 feet after exiting the runway and the left wing and propeller struck the ground. The airplane came to rest on its left wing. The winds at the time of the accident were reported from the southeast at 3 knots. No pre-existing defects or anomalies were found on the landing gear or brake system of the airplane by the FAA inspector and the operator. Numerous attempts, albeit unsuccessful, were made by the investigator-in-charge to speak to the pilot and conduct a formal interview.
Factual narrative
On May 12, 1997, at approximately 1200 central daylight time, a Snow S2C agricultural airplane, N1619S, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while landing near Hondo, Texas. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane, owned and operated by Rusty's Flying Service, of Hondo, Texas, was being operated under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from the Hondo Municipal Airport, near Hondo, Texas, at approximately 1100.
According to the operator, the pilot lost directional control of the airplane after executing a wheel landing on the centerline of runway 17L. The airplane was observed exiting the right side of the runway, and remained in a right turn after exiting the runway. The left main landing gear collapsed within 30 feet after exiting the runway and the left wing and propeller struck the ground. The airplane came to rest on its left wing.
The winds at the time of the accident were reported from the southeast at 3 knots. Examination of the 1963 model airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the airframe sustained structural damage. No pre-existing defects or anomalies were found on the landing gear or brake system of the airplane.
Numerous attempts, albeit unsuccessful, were made by the investigator-in-charge to speak to the pilot and conduct a formal interview.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1619S
- Reported as
- Snow S2C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1167C
- Airframe hours
- 3,201
- Engine
- P&W R-985-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Rusty Lindeman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1997 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- HDO · TX
- Airport
- HDO · Hondo Municipal Airport, runway 17L, 6,020 × 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
- 59
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 18,636 total · 40 in this make and model · 18,636 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 55 °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 N1619S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.