Callair A-3 accident near Williams, Arizona, September 23, 1991
On September 23, 1991 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Callair A-3, registered N2903V, was destroyed in an accident near Williams, Arizona (Williams Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S ENCOUNTER WITH A STRONG AND GUSTY CROSS-WIND WHICH SUDDENLY DEVELOPED IN THE AREA AND HIS SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF CONTROL. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE AIRSPEED AND INABILITY TO ADEQUATELY COMPENSATE FOR THE EXISTING WIND CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1991 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 1991
- Place
- Williams, Arizona · Williams Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Callair A-3 · all A-3s on the register
- Registration
- N2903V · registry record · serial 119
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT PRIOR TO TAKING OFF HE HAD OBSERVED THAT THE WIND SOCK WAS 'LIMP'. THE PILOT TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 18 AND BEGAN CLIMBING. AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 10 TO 20 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THE PILOT SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD ENCOUNTERED A WIND GUST FROM 090 DEGREES AT 35 KNOTS. THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY, CONTACTED THE GROUND, IMPACTED A DITCH AND COLLIDED WITH BOULDERS. WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT REPORTED THAT, AT THE TIME OF THE MISHAP, A LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING, A THUNDERSTORM WAS NEARBY, AND GUSTY WINDS HAD SUDDENLY DEVELOPED IN THE AREA.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: GCN Grand Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 6,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 35 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2903V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Callair A-3 8 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Callair 44 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-145 1,828 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Grand Canyon Ntl Park Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,435 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX91LA406.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.