NTSB Factual Report

On April 13, 2001, at approximately 1240 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 17-31A, N93737, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain while landing at Lea County Regional Airport, Hobbs, New Mexico. The private pilot and sole occupant on board received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for this personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Lubbock, Texas, at approximately 1145.

According to the pilot, at the moment of flare/touchdown on runway 21, the airplane settled onto its left main landing gear. The right wing rose up and the airplane departed the left side of the runway just past taxiway "B." He attempted a go-around and the airplane became airborne momentarily. The pilot stated that during the attempted go-around, the airplane was unresponsive and would not "climb or accelerate." He said, "the more I added right rudder the more it went left." The airplane turned to the left, crossed runway 26 and settled down on runway 30, skidding across the runway. The airplane came to rest, facing the direction from which it came, in the grass to the south of runway 30, adjacent to taxiway "B1." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the airframe, both main landing gears, and empennage.

At the time of the accident, winds were from 160 degrees at 4 knots, and the temperature was 24 degrees Celsius. Altimeter setting was 30.12" Hg. The airfield elevation is 3,661feet msl and density altitude was computed to be approximately 5,405 feet msl.

An FAA inspector who examined the wreckage and interviewed the pilot stated that, when the pilot seated himself in the airplane to show the inspector what had happened, the inspector noticed that, "the pilot seated himself in the left seat and was sitting at a left angle and as he placed his feet up to the rudder pedals, his right foot was placed on the co-pilot's left rudder pedal."

On September 17, 2000, the pilot was in another accident, (DEN00LA174), involving a Bellanca 17-30A, N14774. According to the FAA inspector who went to that accident site, the airplane veered to the left during takeoff and struck a mesquite bush. It then traveled 336 feet through the air, struck the ground, spun around 720 degrees, and skidded to a halt 1,947 feet from the start of the takeoff roll. The inspector said it appeared that, "the pilot failed to apply sufficient right rudder at liftoff to maintain directional control," allowing the airplane to "drift left sufficient[ly] for the left wing to strike the mesquite bush branch."

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during flare/landing.