Summary
On March 21, 2014, a Donald G Stokes CHALLENGER II (N284DS) was involved in an incident near Crockett, TX. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane, resulting in a hard landing.
In his accident report, the pilot said that as he made his approach, "a gust of wind pushed [the airplane] near the trees [lying] next to the [air]strip, where the [air]plane['s] right wing caught a brush pile which caused the [air]plane to have a hard landing." In his statement to the Texas Department of Public Safety, however, the pilot said the airplane contacted the top strand of a wire, "causing the {air]plane to pull to the right and strike some piled up fence row clippings with right wing and [air]plane hit the ground collapsing left landing gear." Both wings were punctured by tree branches and the lift struts and braces were buckled. The nose and left main landing gears had collapsed, buckling the fuselage. There was also a fabric tear on the vertical stabilizer.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN14CA170. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N284DS.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane, resulting in a hard landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
In his accident report, the pilot said that as he made his approach, "a gust of wind pushed [the airplane] near the trees [lying] next to the [air]strip, where the [air]plane['s] right wing caught a brush pile which caused the [air]plane to have a hard landing." In his statement to the Texas Department of Public Safety, however, the pilot said the airplane contacted the top strand of a wire, "causing the {air]plane to pull to the right and strike some piled up fence row clippings with right wing and [air]plane hit the ground collapsing left landing gear." Both wings were punctured by tree branches and the lift struts and braces were buckled. The nose and left main landing gears had collapsed, buckling the fuselage. There was also a fabric tear on the vertical stabilizer. No pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures were reported by the pilot.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN14CA170