Aero Commander S2R N1765S

Summary

On 6 June 1998 at about 00:58 local time, a Aero Commander S2R registered N1765S was involved in an accident near Hondo, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 June 1998 at 00:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Hondo, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO)

Coordinates

29.3503, -99.1508

Aircraft

Aero Commander S2R

Registration

N1765S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

FTW98LA257

1 person died.

The inadvertent stall due to the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane. Factors were the high winds and the wind induced turbulence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The agricultural airplane stalled during the turn from base to final while landing on runway 04. A witness reported hearing 'the sound of the engine power being applied as the pilot attempted to recover from the stall.' The airplane impacted in a potato field in a nose low attitude, in a nearly wings level attitude, at a high rate of decent, coming to rest in a westerly heading, in the upright position. Examination of the airplane revealed that the forward section of the fuselage was severely compressed. The winds at the time of the accident were reported from 040 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 20 knots. A pilot home-based at the airport reported that on the day of the accident he had experienced 'noticeable wind shear in the area throughout' on the day of the accident. The pilot added that his employer elected to discontinue flight testing of the unmanned vehicle they were testing earlier that day due to an approaching front and the unstable air. A transient pilot that flew a Piper Cherokee into the airport about an hour prior to the accident, also reported 'wind induced turbulence while on his approach when within 500 feet of the ground.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.