Fairchild M-62A-3 accident near Amarillo, Texas, September 20, 1998
On September 20, 1998 at about 11:37 pm local time, a Fairchild M-62A-3, registered N1132N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Amarillo, Texas (Buffalo Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 proper airspeed during the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1998 · about 11:37 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Amarillo, Texas · Buffalo Airport · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild M-62A-3 · all M-62A-3s on the register
- Registration
- N1132N · registry record · serial FC-27
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft stalled after takeoff. The pilot stated that 'after takeoff, the aircraft drifted to the right and the airspeed was low.' He added that he lowered the nose to try and recover but there was 'inadequate altitude.' The aircraft impacted a fence and then 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,635 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,503 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,458 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 11, 1997; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ranger 6-440-C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1E7 Amarillo TX at 11:37 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from AMA, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1132N on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Fairchild M-62 186 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Fairchild 616 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Ranger 6-440-C5 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Buffalo Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,062 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,979 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW98LA402.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.