- Date
- November 25, 1998, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Vacaville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N59734Boeing A75N1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981125046049A
- Case key
- 45372
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 inadequate compensation for the existing variable wind conditions and his failure to maintain directional control.
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 aircraft ground looped and nosed over during landing. The pilot had monitored the Automated Surface Observation System prior to landing, which reported variable winds at 4 to 5 knots. There were two other aircraft in the traffic pattern, and they used the same runway. The pilot said he did not notice that the winds had changed to a slight tailwind, and on touchdown, he lost directional control and the left wing touched the runway. The aircraft then turned sharply off the runway, encountered soft mud, and nosed over. There were no discrepancies found with the aircraft.
Factual narrative
On November 25, 1998, at 1330 hours Pacific standard time, a Boeing A75N1, N59734, ground looped and nosed over during landing at the Vacaville, California, airport. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, and was on a personal flight from Executive Airport, Sacramento, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained substantial wing damage. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured.
In a written statement, the pilot reported he had his landing gear serviced in Sacramento, and was returning back to Vacaville. Prior to his arrival in Vacaville, he monitored the ASOS, which reported winds as variable at 4 to 5 knots. There were two other aircraft in the traffic pattern, and they were using runway 02. The pilot said he did not notice that the winds had changed to a slight tailwind, and on touchdown, he lost directional control and the left wing touched the runway. The aircraft then turned sharply off the runway, encountered soft mud, and nosed over. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical discrepancies with the aircraft. The pilot went on to state that a few pilots had commented on the unreliability of the ASOS located on the field.
In a telephone interview with the airport manager of Nut Tree Airport, Vacaville, he stated that the ASOS is located in an open field, and there are no restrictions to the sensors. He said that pilots have not complained about the ASOS, but have commented on how accurate and reliable it is. The ASOS is Federal Aviation Administration approved, and it is the only certified ASOS in the county.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59734
- Reported as
- Boeing A75N1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 75-3160
- Airframe hours
- 978
- Engine
- Continental R670, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William E. Mcnulty
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 15, 1998 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- SAC · Sacramento, CA
- Airport
- O45 · Nut Tree, runway 2, 3,800 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 315 total · 87 in this make and model · 178 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAC, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.