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Atlas / NTSB / SEA98LA035

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event SEA98LA035

1998-02-05 HILLSBORO, Oregon, United States Airport · 7S3 Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain a proper glidepath.

Factual narrative

On February 5, 1998, approximately 1455 Pacific standard time, a Bromley Steen Skybolt homebuilt aircraft, N55740, registered to/being flown by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged during an undershoot and loss of control on landing at Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark, Hillsboro, Oregon. The pilot sustained minor injuries. No flight plan had been filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight, which was personal in nature, was to have been operated under 14CFR91, and originated from the accident airport approximately 1450. The pilot reported that after takeoff he remained in the traffic pattern and that he "was too low on final approach and (the) wheels struck (the) slope leading to (the) end of (the) runway." The landing gear then collapsed and the aircraft skidded down the runway on its belly during which it slid off the west side of the pavement. The airport manager reported that tire marks from the aircraft were observed approximately 30 feet short of the paved physical end of runway 02. Runway 02 has a painted displaced threshold of 100 feet (north of its physical end). A witness reported that the aircraft bounced and then re-landed on the asphalt surface during which the left wingtip and propeller struck the ground. The aircraft then veered left off the west side of the runway and rolled down the dirt embankment upon which the runway is built up on, coming to rest in the mud. Winds at Hillsboro airport, located six nautical miles north, were reported at five knots and variable direction at 1450. The pilot reported that after takeoff he remained in the traffic pattern and that he 'was too low on final approach and (the) wheels struck (the) slope leading to (the) end of (the) runway.' The airport manager reported that tire marks from the aircraft were observed approximately 30 feet short of the paved physical end of runway 02 which has a painted displaced threshold of 100 feet (north of its physical end). The landing gear then collapsed and the aircraft skidded down the runway on its belly during which it slid off the west side of the pavement. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1998_SEA98LA035.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

What the literature says.

Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.

Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗