N7055K – NORTH AMERICAN AT-6C – 2012-06-11 NTSB Accident Report

On June 11, 2012, a North American AT-6C (N7055K) was involved in an incident near Delmar, DE. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to go around after not attaining the proper touchdown point, which resulted in a runway excursion and noseover.

According to the delivery pilot of the recently-sold vintage military trainer, he first landed the airplane at a paved airport near the new owner's farm. The new owner then asked the pilot to fly the airplane to a dirt airstrip on the farm. The pilot subsequently went to the airstrip with the new owner, determined that it was acceptable, and later returned with the airplane. During the landing flare, the airplane floated from what the pilot later surmised were convective currents from the hot soil. It subsequently touched down long and overran the end of the 1,380-foot airstrip. During the overrun, the airplane encountered a soft spot in the adjoining onion field and nosed over, damaging the rudder and vertical fin.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA12CA393. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N7055K.