Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Sweetwater County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Rock Springs, Wyoming 82902
Monday, December 19, 1983 21:22 MST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
COMBS AIRWAYS, FLT 709, COLLIDED WITH A SNOW BANK DURING THE LANDING ROLL AT SWEETWATER COUNTY APRT. THE CAPT REPORTED THAT 'IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT VEERED LEFT, STRUCK A SNOW BANK, THEN VEERED TO THE RIGHT 180 DEG COMING TO REST ON THE RWY FACING TO THE EAST.' THE PROP & GEAR BOX SEPARATED FROM THE RIGHT ENG. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE PRIOR TO THE ACDNT. THE ARPT MANAGER REPORTED THAT SNOW SHOWERS & DRIFTING SNOW HAD ALMOST TOTALLY COVERED THE RWY MARKINGS, INCLUDING THE RWY CENTERLINE. SNOW PLOWING OPERATIONS HAD BEEN IN EFFECT ON THE DAY OF THE ACDNT. THE CENTER OF THE PLOWED AREA WAS SEVERAL FEET TO THE RIGHT OF THE RWY CENTERLINE. NUMEROUS FINGER DRIFTS WERE PRESENT FROM THE LEFT EDGE OF THE PLOWED AREA TO THE CENTER OF THE RWY. THERE WERE 2 FT SNOW BANKS ON EACH SIDE OF THE SNOW PLOWED AREA.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/19/1983 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 2122 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Standard Time |
| Event City | ROCK SPRINGS |
| Event State | WYOMING |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 82902 |
| Event Date Year | 1983 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | SWEETWATER COUNTY |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | RKS |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 6750 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2125 Mountain Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 150 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | RKS |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 6450 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 300 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 300 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 290 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 14 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 5648 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Moderate |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 33 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2999 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 23315 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:16AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N73162 |
| NTSB Number | DEN84FA045 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 121: Air Carrier |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CONVAIR |
| Aircraft Model | 440 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 440 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 361 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 54600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 50 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | AAIP |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 11 1983 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 169 |
| Airframe Hours | 50736 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | COMBS AIRWAYS |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3940 QUEBEC ST., SUITE 144 |
| Aircraft Owner City | DENVER |
| Aircraft Owner State | CO |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 80207 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | DEN |
| Departure City | DENVER |
| Departure State | CO |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2003 |
| Departure Time Zone | MST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | RKS |
| Destination City | ROCK SPRINGS |
| Destination State | WY |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 20 2002 12:42PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 27 |
| Runway Length | 10000 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |