No fatalities

Amphibious Airplane Impacts Ground Short of Runway After Loss of Control on Final Approach

Ferris, TX, United States

On March 21, 2011, a Darrow Stephen A Aventura was involved in an aviation accident near Ferris, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s loss of aircraft control during landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

While delivering an amphibious airplane to a private grass airstrip, the pilot lost control on final approach, resulting in a left wing low impact and substantial damage to the fuselage-to-wing attachment. The pilot cited a dirty windshield as impairing visibility.

Accident Overview

An amphibious airplane, being delivered to its owner's private grass airstrip, sustained substantial damage after the pilot lost control while on final approach. The airplane impacted the ground in a left wing low attitude and came to rest upright short of the runway's threshold.

Damage Assessment

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage-to-wing attachment structure.

Pilot Report

In a post-accident statement, the pilot reported that the airplane's windshield was dirty and that he could not see through it during the landing approach. The pilot further stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to the accident.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

windshield system