Summary
On July 11, 2015, a Haphey Bruce Frederic MUSTANG II (N59PB) was involved in an accident near Palatka, FL. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during a balked landing and attempted go-around in dark night conditions and without a landing light, which resulted in collision with terrain.
During a cross country flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur built airplane encountered thunderstorms along his route. This added an additional 45 minutes of unanticipated flight time. He was concerned that night conditions were present, his airplane was not equipped with a landing light, and his destination airport was not lighted; as a result, he decided to divert to another airport which was equipped with lighting and had a longer paved runway. During his first attempt to land at the diversion airport, he was too fast on final approach and elected to go-around. During his second attempt to land, he misjudged his rate of descent and landed hard. The airplane then bounced twice.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ERA15CA264. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N59PB.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during a balked landing and attempted go-around in dark night conditions and without a landing light, which resulted in collision with terrain.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
During a cross country flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur built airplane encountered thunderstorms along his route. This added an additional 45 minutes of unanticipated flight time. He was concerned that night conditions were present, his airplane was not equipped with a landing light, and his destination airport was not lighted; as a result, he decided to divert to another airport which was equipped with lighting and had a longer paved runway. During his first attempt to land at the diversion airport, he was too fast on final approach and elected to go-around. During his second attempt to land, he misjudged his rate of descent and landed hard. The airplane then bounced twice. After the second bounce, he attempted to recover and go-around by adding full power and right rudder but the airplane entered a left roll, struck the ground with its left wingtip, and then cartwheeled, separating the engine before coming to rest inverted. During his egress from the airplane, the pilot received minor injuries. Examination of the airplane revealed that it was substantially damaged.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA15CA264