- Date
- July 1, 2018, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pantego, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3098LAyres S2R
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing area undershoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180701008999A
- Case key
- 97727
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 the proper approach path during landing, which resulted in landing short of the runway.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the owner of the agricultural application airplane, the commercial pilot was performing a simulated agricultural application flight with about 70 gallons of water in the hopper. After spraying water on the fields next to the private runway, during landing, the airplane touched down short of the runway. The main landing gear (MLG) struck a ditch, and the right MLG separated. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The owner added that, before the flight, the pilot had accumulated 0.3 hour of total flight experience in the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the owner of the aerial application airplane, the commercial rated pilot was performing a simulated aerial application flight with about 70 gallons of water in the hopper. After spraying water on the fields next to the private runway, during landing, the pilot touched down short of the runway. The main landing gear struck a ditch and the right main landing gear separated. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The owner added that, prior to the accident flight, the pilot accumulated 0.3 hours of total flight time in the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3098L
- Reported as
- Ayres S2R (15)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R1340-021
- Built
- 1990
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT6-27, 680 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Lee Flying Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Lee Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Other
- Departed
- Pantego, NC
- Destination
- Pantego, NC
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 9, 2018
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 615 total · 0.3 in this make and model · 450 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- KOCW, 13 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 24, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.