Grumman HU-16C accident near Sedona, Arizona, September 26, 1998
On September 26, 1998 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Grumman HU-16C, registered N7025J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sedona, Arizona (Sedona airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot in command's selection of the wrong runway for the prevailing wind conditions, and the second pilot's inadequate compensation for the winds. Factors in the accident were the second pilot's lack of experience in the aircraft and the pilot-in-command's inadequate supervision of the flight. Additional factors were the variable and gusty, cross wind and tail wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1998 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · Sedona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman HU-16C · all HU-16Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7025J · registry record · serial 131910
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot/owner seated in the right seat was type rated in the airplane. The second pilot in the left seat manipulating the flight controls, held an ATP and flight instructor certificates, but was not type rated in the airplane. The second pilot had a total of 1.9 hours in the airplane. Both pilots stated that they selected runway 3 for landing based on weather reports and that other airplanes were using that runway. During landing rollout, propeller reverse power was selected and the left engine came in before the right engine, which caused the airplane to veer left, and braking was used to correct the heading. The propellers were brought out of reverse and the airplane continued to exit the left side of the runway and collapsed the nose gear. The manager of the FBO said they were advising runway 21 as the active runway. The pilot of another airplane said that he had just landed on runway 21 and that there were two other airplanes in the traffic pattern for runway 21 when the accident airplane landed on runway 3. He stated that winds were 130 degrees at 14 knots and the conditions in the pattern were turbulent. The pilot noted that after he landed the wind kept shifting direction from a southeasterly to northeasterly heading. No mechanical anomalies were found during an examination of the propeller reverse system or the braking system.
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: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 360 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,119 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 17, 1998; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 33,500 lb
- Seats: 13
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Curtis Wright R-1820-76 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLG Flagstaff AZ at 4:20 pm
- Destination: SEZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 5,132 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:45 pm from SEZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX98LA313.