Stearman 4E N663K
17 May 2021 · Porterville, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 17 May 2021 at about 21:30 local time, a Stearman 4E registered N663K, operated by William BEN Scott, was involved in an accident near Porterville, California, United States. 3 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.
The record
- Date
- at 21:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Porterville, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Porterville Muni (PTV)
- Coordinates
- 36.0296, -119.0627
- Aircraft
- Stearman 4E
- Registration
- N663K
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1930
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- William BEN Scott
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Diego → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR21LA197
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of directional control while landing, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, after landing the airplane encountered a gust of wind and ballooned. During the subsequent touch down, the airplane landed “in a very minor crab,” the right main landing gear collapsed, and the lower right wing was substantially damaged when it impacted the runway surface. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Stearman 4 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 2004 | Stearman 4E | Loganton, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 1990 | Stearman 4E | Burns, Oregon, United States | Scott, William B. | No injuries | - |
| 26 Aug 1972 | Stearman 4E | Smartville, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Nov 2021 | Travel Air 4-D | Riverside, California, United States | Zieler Richard | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 2021 | Wheeler C / Wheeler K LANCAIR 235 | Borrego Springs, California, United States | Infantryship USA, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jan 2021 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA 300/L | Santa Monica, California, United States | Marauder Aviation LLC | No injuries | - |
| 2 Dec 2021 | Russell W Dyer VORTEX | Lakeport, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Dec 2021 | Beechcraft V35 | Visalia, California, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 18 May 2021 | Harry Crosby (Vans) RV-6 | Byron, California, United States | Harry L. Crosby | Minor injuries | - |