Piper PA-23-250 accident near Cabot, Arkansas, June 25, 1999
On June 25, 1999 at about 11:47 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N6617Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cabot, Arkansas (Odom Field). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor's failure to attain the proper touchdown point during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1999 · about 11:47 pm local time
- Place
- Cabot, Arkansas · Odom Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6617Y · no longer on the register · serial 27-3923
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the dual instructional flight, with the flight instructor at the controls, the twin-engine airplane landed halfway down the 2,640-foot sod runway. As it neared the east end of the runway, the aircraft was intentionally 'ground looped' to keep it from crossing a road and going into trees. The aircraft exited the runway to the left, crossed a ditch, and came to a stop in the eastbound lane of a highway. The pilot, who was being checked out in the airplane, reported that after touchdown, the flaps were retracted, and the brakes were applied. However, there 'appeared to be no brakes.' The brakes were pumped, and again there 'appeared to be no brakes.' An FAA inspector examined the brakes and performed an operational check. No preexisting anomalies were found, and the brakes functioned properly.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,177 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 10, 1999; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Odom Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: M89 Arkadelphia AR
- Destination: AR28
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,640 ft by 70 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from LIT, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.