Pilot Debrief

BEECH A23-24 near Clintonville, WI — 2016-05-30

Final reportCEN16LA206
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Date
2016-05-30
Location
Clintonville, WI, USA
Airport
CLI
Aircraft
BEECH A23-24
Registration
N5771V
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain the proper glidepath during the night visual approach, which resulted in impact with a runway threshold light, and his improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's fatigue.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was completing a cross-country flight from Florida to Wisconsin. He stated that he got a full night's sleep prior to departing on the flight around 1100. About 0330, he was approaching the airport for the third and final fuel stop of the trip. Although the surface observation at the airport indicated that night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, the pilot noticed that, as he approached the airport, the runway and precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights were partially obscured by ground fog. About 250 ft above ground level on final approach, the PAPI lights indicated that the airplane was below the approach path, and the pilot attempted to correct by applying engine power. He reported that the landing felt normal, then the nose landing gear "gave out," and the airplane skidded about 300 ft down the runway before coming to rest. Examination of the runway surface revealed tire skid marks consistent with the airplane touching down about 40 ft right of the runway centerline at the beginning of the paved surface. The airplane's left horizontal stabilizer displayed an indentation and paint transfer consistent with impact with a runway threshold light. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is possible that the pilot may have lost visual contact with the airport environment due to ground fog as the airplane neared the runway, which resulted in the short and right-of-centerline landing. Although the pilot stated that he did not feel tired during the accident flight, it is likely that he was experiencing symptoms of fatigue as a result of his extended time awake prior to the accident.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have opted to go around instead of landing in fog conditions.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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