Snow S2C accident near Bovina, Texas, September 18, 1998
On September 18, 1998 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Snow S2C, registered N9492R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bovina, Texas (Rhodes Crop Care airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1998 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bovina, Texas · Rhodes Crop Care · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Snow S2C · all S2Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9492R · no longer on the register · serial 1132C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll, the agricultural airplane exited the right side of the runway and impacted terrain. The pilot reported that after touchdown on runway 09, the tailwheel-equipped airplane began to turn right into the 'little bit of south breeze.' He attempted to counteract the turn, but was unsuccessful. The left main landing gear impacted a 'one to two foot' dirt bank that paralleled the runway. Subsequently, the left main gear collapsed and the left wing tip struck 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: 1,150 hours in all; 731 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 1,120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 1:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,500 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N9492R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.