Aero Commander Callair A-9B accident near El Paso, Texas, August 10, 2002
On August 10, 2002 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Aero Commander Callair A-9B, registered N7718V, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Paso, Texas (West Texas Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, and his failure to maintain directional control. Contributing factors were the cross wind, and the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model of the accident airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2002 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · West Texas Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander Callair A-9B · all Callair A-9Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7718V · no longer on the register · serial 1470
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing of a series of stop and go landings to meet the insurance requirements for towing gliders in the airplane. During the second approach, the pilot was correcting for the crosswind, the airplane bounced onto the runway, veered to the right side of the runway, exited the runway, and came to rest on a sand dune. The wind was from the south-southeast approximately 7-10 knots. The accident flight was the pilot's first flight in the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,916 hours in all; 23 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 5,599 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 3, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,621 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 2002; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-GIC5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T27 El Paso TX at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 7,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 7 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW02LA236.