Pilatus PC-6 N19TX

Summary

On 28 October 1997 at about 15:38 local time, a Pilatus PC-6 registered N19TX was involved in an accident near Lexington, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 October 1997 at 15:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Lexington, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Lexington (NONE)

Coordinates

30.4098, -97.0002

Aircraft

Pilatus PC-6

Registration

N19TX

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Giddings → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA035

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. A factor relating to the accident was: the uneven terrain (with swales) at the edge of the landing area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was delivering an airplane to a new airstrip. He had been driven to the airstrip to inspect it before the first landing. While landing to the south during the airstrip's inaugural landing, the pilot lined up to land on the east side of the new runway, and the airplane touched down on an unimproved portion of the airstrip. During the landing roll on the unimproved portion, while rolling at approximately 25 knots, the landing gear impacted a swale, one of which the pilot had been briefed about, earlier. The right main landing gear collapsed. The severity of the damage incurred by the right main landing gear was found not to be compatible with the physical evidence found at the accident site. The operator, pilot, drop zone manager, and FAA inspector concurred that the failure of the landing gear was not the direct result of impacting a low rise of soft dirt at low speed. The aircraft records did not reflect any previous accident history or damage that could have led to the failure of the landing gear. The reason for the failure of the right main landing gear could not be verified.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.