- Date
- August 10, 1989, 23:15 local (Aug 11, 1989, 06:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tranquillity, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4072XAero Commander S2R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890810028889A
- Case key
- 26156
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 visual look-out was inadequate and that he failed to see the high vegetation upon landing. Factors relating to this accident are dark night and high vegetation.
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
The pilot was completing a night aerial application flight and was landing at a private airstrip. On touchdown the airplane struck some weeds causing the airplane to exit the runway environment making directional control not possible. Both main landing gears collapsed when the airplane entered the soft terrain adjacent to the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4072X
- Reported as
- Aero Commander S2R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1915R
- Airframe hours
- 5,150
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Mid-Cal Ag Aviation
- Registered owner
- John & Gail Williams
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 10, 1989 · 155 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Kerman, CA
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point -0 °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 N4072X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.