N12GS

On May 11, 1997, at 1045 eastern standard time, a Beech B33-35, N12GS, registered to and flown by a private pilot collided with the terrain while landing on a private airstrip in Mishawaka, Indiana. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot was not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight originated from Elkhart, Indiana, at 1030 est.

The pilot was landing on runway 28 (1,800 foot long, sod) when the accident occurred. He reported that at an altitude of approximately 10-15 feet he heard a momentary "chirp" of the stall warning horn at which time he lowered the nose of the airplane. He reported that the airplane then dropped and landed hard at which time the nose gear collapsed and the nose gear strut dug into the dirt. The pilot reported there was moderate turbulence at the time of the accident and he was landing with a 60 degree crosswind.

Winds reported at Elkhart, Indiana, approximately 5 miles northeast of the accident site, were from 210 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 22 knots. This observation was taken approximately five minutes after the time of the accident.