Ryan ST3KR accident near Los Banos, California, September 10, 1998
On September 10, 1998, a Ryan ST3KR, registered N22JK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Los Banos, California (Los Banos Municipal 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 pilot's decision to takeoff in adverse wind conditions and inadequate compensation for the existing crosswind conditions, which resulted in a failure to maintain runway alignment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 1998
- Place
- Los Banos, California · Los Banos Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan ST3KR
- Registration
- N22JK · registry record · serial 1697
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had landed at the airport over an hour earlier with no problems and waited to meet another airplane. On departure he estimated the winds to be 20 to 30 knots approximately 90 degrees to the runway. After a long takeoff roll he lifted off. As he relaxed the controls the aircraft drifted off the runway and settled into the dirt. At that time the pilot elected to abort the takeoff. Noticing a ditch and cornfield in his path the pilot tried to ground loop the airplane. The aircraft turned sharply into the wind and the tail dug into the soft dirt. Both wing tips scraped the ground, the left main landing gear was bent, the fuselage was twisted behind the cockpit, and the tail cone was dented. A mechanic at the field noted that the aircraft that had departed immediately prior to this aircraft had veered off and then back on the runway during takeoff.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 653 hours in all; 222 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 520 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 1997; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,885 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kinner R-55 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LSN
- Destination: FCH Fresno CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,005 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from MCE, 22 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.
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.