FTW94LA186

Factual narrative

On May 30, 1994, at 1400 central daylight time, a Donner Pitts S- 1 home built, N34PD, was substantially damaged during landing at the Luscombe Acres private air strip in Alvarado, Texas. The airplane, owned and operated by an airline transport rated pilot, was on a local personal flight. There was no flight plan filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. According to the pilot, he executed a normal approach, landing on runway 18, after a brief local flight. He stated that upon touchdown, the airplane ballooned over a bump in the sod runway to a height of about 15 feet. As the airplane settled back down to the runway, it encountered a gust from the crosswind and drifted to the right. During the drift, the lower right wing aileron aerodynamic shovel became entangled in the two foot high grass that was adjacent to the mowed area of the runway. The airplane yawed further right into the tall grass and the left main gear partially collapsed. The airplane subsequently nosed over. The pilot reported the winds as being from 110 degrees at 5 knots, gusting to 10 knots. WHILE LANDING TO THE SOUTH ON A GRASS RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE BALLOONED WHEN IT HIT A BUMP. THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED RIGHT AS IT SETTLED BACK TO THE RUNWAY AND THE RIGHT LOWER WING AILERON AERODYNAMIC SHOVEL BECAME ENTANGLED IN TWO FOOT HIGH GRASS THAT WAS ADJACENT TO THE MOWED RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE YAWED FURTHER RIGHT AND THE LEFT MAIN GEAR PARTIALLY COLLAPSED. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY NOSED OVER. THE PILOT STATED THE WINDS WERE FROM 110 DEGREES AT 5 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 10 KNOTS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12