Aero Commander S2R accident near Hondo, Texas, June 6, 1998
On June 6, 1998, a Aero Commander S2R, registered N1765S, was destroyed in an accident near Hondo, Texas (Hondo Municipal Airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1998
- Place
- Hondo, Texas · Hondo Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander S2R · all S2Rs on the register
- Registration
- N1765S · no longer on the register · serial 1417R
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.'
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
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 1,185 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 200 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,403 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HDO at 11:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,500 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 040° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.