# NTSB FTW98LA418: Bellanca 17-30A, N727DC, Alpine, TX, September 25, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 25, 1998, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC) - Place: Alpine, TX - Coordinates: 30.360332, -103.659507 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.3603&lon=-103.6595&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 16, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 44053 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW98LA418 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/44053/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA418 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane for undetermined reasons. A factor was the loose gravel composition of the runway. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - loose gravel/sandy (contributing factor) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The 2,752 hour commercial pilot lost directional control of the single engine airplane after the nose landing gear tire made contact with the runway following a normal landing on the 80 foot wide gravel runway. The pilot reported that as soon as the nose wheel touched down, the airplane started to pull to the left and he was not able to control the airplane by applying opposite brake, rudder or nose wheel steering. Physical examination revealed that the airplane touched down left of centerline and the left wing collided with mesquite bushes alongside the left edge of the runway. The pilot stated that he suspected that the steering rod or the steering collar for the nose wheel steering had failed. The pilot stated that he was told by a person from the recovery crew that recovered the wreckage, that the steering collar rod was fractured. The nature of the fracture was not determined and the report from the recovery crew could not be confirmed due to the sale of the wreckage. The gravel on the runway was very loose and one of the pilots compared the feeling of operating the airplane in loose gravel as if the airplane was riding on ball bearings. ## Factual narrative On September 25, 1998, at 1430 central daylight time, a Bellanca 17-30A airplane, N727DC, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while landing near Alpine, Texas. The instrument rated commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight that originated from Ozona, Texas, approximately 1330. The 2,752 hours pilot reported that he entered the traffic pattern for a full stop landing on runway 20 at the Terlingua Ranch Airport (1E2), near Alpine, Texas. Following a normal touchdown, the pilot stated that as the nose wheel tire contacted the ground, the airplane "started to pull to the left to the point that he could not control the airplane with opposite brake, rudder or nose wheel steering." The pilot added that the airplane departed the left side of the 80 foot wide gravel runway and impacted mesquite trees and rocks on the east side of the runway. The winds at the time of the accident were reported from 200 degrees at 10 knots. Several of the pilots that attended the fly-in at the ranch reported that "the gravel on the runway was very loose." Most pilots reported that they elected to land and takeoff with the flaps retracted to avoid possible damage to the flaps due to flying rocks. One of the pilots compared the feeling of operating on loose gravel as "if the airplane was operating on ball bearings." Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector who responded to the accident site revealed that the right wing sustained structural damage and the right main and nose landing gear collapsed. The FAA inspector documented the airplane's tire tracks from the point of touchdown to the point where the airplane departed the runway. The inspector stated physical evidence revealed that the airplane touched down left of centerline and left wing collided with mesquite bushes alongside the left edge of the runway, which subsequently resulted in a loss of control. On the "mechanical malfunction failure" block of the enclosed NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that he suspected that the steering rod or the steering collar for the nose wheel steering had failed. The pilot stated that he was told by a person from the recovery crew that recovered the wreckage, that the steering collar rod was fractured. The nature of the fracture was not determined and the report from the recovery crew could not be confirmed due to the sale of the wreckage. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N727DC](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N727DC-2001-05-03), registration cancelled 2001-05-03, S/N 79-30946 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Bellanca 17-30A - Registry model: [Bellanca 17-30A](https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-17-30a) (registry code 1220433) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 79-30946 - Airframe hours: 2357 - Engines: Continental IO-520-K1 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: John E. Whatley Jr. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 2, 1998, 16 hours before - Departed: OZA, OZONA, TX - Destination: 1E2 - Airport: 1E2, Terlingua Ranch Airport, runway 20, 4,700 × 80 ft, gravel ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 64; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 2,752 total, 500 in this make and model, 2,721 as pilot in command, 58 in the last 90 days, 21 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 200° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 90 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19980925026709A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980925026709A), Sep 25, 1998: Blanca 1731ATC, Alpine, TX, Substantial damage. (.19)On September 25, 1998, at 1430 central daylight time, a Bellanca 17-30A airplane, N727DC, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.