Ayres S2R-G1 accident near Calexico, California, November 19, 2007
On November 19, 2007 at about 7:38 pm local time, a Ayres S2R-G1, registered N2237D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Calexico, California (Private Airstrip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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 while landing. A factor in the accident was the close proximity of the drainage ditch to the edge of the private airstrip's runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 2007 · about 7:38 pm local time
- Place
- Calexico, California · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ayres S2R-G1
- Registration
- N2237D · registry record · serial G1-104
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after landing and getting the tailwheel on the ground the airplane began to drift to the right. The pilot corrected to the left and managed to get the airplane back to the center of the runway, but the airplane continued to the left as the pilot was late in getting the stick far enough forward to unlock the tailwheel. The pilot stated, "...I was on the [left] edge of the runway, which is the edge of the ditch. I started to add power to go around, but the left [landing] gear fell off the edge of the drain pulling the plane into the ditch." The pilot reported that at the time of the landing the wind was calm.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,820 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 96 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0945 Calexico CA
- Destination: Calexico CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 41°F (5°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.
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.