Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot maintaining excessive airspeed during the landing, resulting in a touchdown on the runway with insufficient distance to stop, and a subsequent intentional ground loop and collision with the terrain. Also causal was the pilot's failure to abort the landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On Thursday, September 1, 1994, at 1435 eastern daylight time, a Beech F33A, N445B, registered to the Blue Sky Aviation Association, and piloted by George R. Niccolai, sustained substantial damage during a landing at the Block Island State Airport, Block Island, Rhode Island. The pilot and two of the passengers were not injured. One passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In his report, the pilot stated:
Speed was slowly reduced to 80 MPH on final. ....Aircraft flared at the "numbers" and rose due to ground effect...eased back as the aircraft began downward descent. Back pressure applied again and the same occurrence repeated.
Aircraft skidded off the runway onto grass overrun. Right rudder and brake was applied making aircraft turn to right and slide to stop.
The FAA Operations Inspector stated in his report:
While approaching runway 28...the aircraft touched down at high speed on the last 268 feet of usable runway. After continuing off the runway at speed, the pilot placed the aircraft into a hard right turn effectively "ground looping" to a stop.
The reported wind at the airport was 290 degrees at 9 knots.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC94LA164