N602BV – SMITH AEROSTAR 601P – 2012-03-24 NTSB Accident Report

On March 24, 2012, a Smith AEROSTAR 601P (N602BV) was involved in an incident near Casterville, TX. All 3 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot did not maintain control of the airplane while circling to land.

The pilot flew the GPS approach and stated he was able to see the runway upon reaching the missed approach point; however, he was not “in a position” to land the airplane. He stated he decided to circle to land with full flaps while maintaining an airspeed of 140 miles per hour. The airplane entered an “unusually high” sink rate during the turn. The pilot added full power and leveled the wings, but the airplane continued to descend. The airplane impacted the terrain off the end of and to the right of the runway. The airplane received substantial damage to the left wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures/malfunctions which resulted in the accident.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN12CA202. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N602BV.