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Atlas / NTSB / WPR10CA225

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR10CA225

2010-05-03 Yuba City, California, United States Airport · CA73 None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N6018T

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AYRES CORPORATION S2R-T34

Seats / Engines

1 seats · 1 engine

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A7CE78

Registrant of record

WELLS FLYING SERVICES LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that during departure for an agricultural application flight the gearbox chip detector light illuminated approximately five miles from the runway. The pilot elected to reverse course and return to the airport. The airplane landed with a reported tailwind on runway 34. According to the pilot, during the landing roll the nose of the airplane made a sharp left turn as beta and braking were initiated. The airplane skidded and exited the left side of the runway into a field and impacted a berm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. Shortly after the accident the operator stated that the pilot landed with a tailwind. The pilot subsequently reported winds of 300 degrees at 12 knots. The closest weather reporting station is located 7 miles east at Marysville. The reported winds at Marysville at the time of the accident were 140 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 17 knots. The operator also stated that there were no known mechanical failures and that there were parallel and equal skid marks left on the runway by the airplane as it decelerated. The pilot stated that during departure for an aerial application flight the gearbox chip detector light illuminated approximately five miles from the runway. The pilot elected to reverse course and return to the airport. The airplane landed with a reported tailwind on runway 34. According to the pilot, during the landing roll the nose of the airplane made a sharp left turn as beta and braking were initiated. The airplane skidded and exited the left side of the runway into a field and impacted a berm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. Shortly after the accident the operator stated that the pilot landed with a tailwind. The pilot subsequently reported winds of 300 degrees at 12 knots. The closest weather reporting station is located 7 miles east at Marysville. The reported winds at Marysville at the time of the accident were 140 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 17 knots. The operator also stated that there were no known mechanical failures and that there were parallel and equal skid marks left on the runway by the airplane as it decelerated. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_WPR10CA225.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.