- Date
- September 14, 1989, 08:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Yuma, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4977XAyres S-2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890914034899A
- Case key
- 26136
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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control after landing on a dry gravel runway.
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
While landing, the aircraft veered to the right and the pilot was unable to correct back to the runway. The aircraft's main gear dug into soft dirt alongside the runway and the aircraft came to a stop inverted. The dry gravel runway was 60 feet wide and the winds were light and variable. No preimpact mechanical problems were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4977X
- Reported as
- Ayres S-2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5022R
- Airframe hours
- 2,386
- Engine
- Wright R-1820-97, 1,200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Schmit Robert, Schmit Doug, doing business as Schmit Aviation
- Registered owner
- Schmit Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 7, 1989 · 100 hours before
- Airport
- Twelfth Street Airstrip, runway 27, 2,800 × 60 ft, gravel
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 8,903 total · 485 in this make and model · 2,233 as pilot in command · 191 in the last 90 days · 51 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °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 N4977X · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.