FTW94LA113

Factual narrative

On March 27, 1994, at 1830 central standard time, a North American SNJ-5, N73SL, was substantially damaged during landing near Houston, Texas. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight. The pilot stated in the Pilot/Operator report that during the landing roll he "looked along the left side of the cowling to gage the remaining runway." He further reported that the "aircraft turned to the right into the prevailing crosswind," rolled onto the grass, with the braking action becoming "ineffective." Subsequently, the aircraft right wing impacted a tree and came to rest in a water-filled ditch. The left main landing gear had sheared and there was damage to the left wing. The aircraft was released to the owner. DURING LANDING THE PILOT LOOKED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COWLING TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF REMAINING RUNWAY. WHILE HE WAS LOOKING LEFT THE AIRPLANE VEERED RIGHT SHEARED THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND STRUCK A TREE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12