What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft overshot the rwy on landing and crashed into a fence, other circumstances ae unknown. (From .19) on may 8, 1999, at 0750 hours mountain standard time, an amateur built experimental Garrett glasair-SH-2R, N6DM, collided with a fence during a landing overrun on runway 32 at st. john, Arizona. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR part 91 of the federal aviation regulations when the accident occurred. The private pilot and his passenger sustained serious injuries. The pilot did not file a flight plan for the personal cross-country flight. The flight originated at payson, AZ., at an unknown time, and was destined for pampa, TX. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot stated he was at 12,000 feet in cruise flight when he smelled a smoke odor from the cockpit area. He then stated that the smoke was coming from a microswitch for the clutch. He said his passenger became excited and he elected to land at st. john to investigate the problem. During the landing attempt he subsequently overshot runway 32, overran the runway, and collided with an airport boundary fence. (.4)the pilot was about 35 minutes into a planned cross-country flight when he smelled a smoke odor from the cockpit area, and began to see smoke coming from a the switch which controls the flap motor. The pilot decided to land, and elected to turn off the electrical power and shut down the engine. The pilot said he misjudged the approach to runway 3, so he turned the power back on, restarted the engine, and set up for an approach to runway 32. After determining that the landing was assured, he again turned off the electrical and engine power and glided to a landing on runway 32. During the landing, he overshot the touchdown point, overran the runway surface, and collided with an airport boundary fence. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed that the wire splices leading to the flap motor were touching each other and arcing, causing the smoke in the cockpit. Additionally, the three-position flap motor switch was examined. In the down position the switch is spring loaded to return to neutral; however, in the flaps up position, the switch must be physically returned to the neutral position. There are no limit stop proximity switches in the system and the motor will cont inue to run in either the up or down direction if the cockpit switch is in other than the neutral position. The flaps after motor had continue to run after the pilot retracted the flaps after takeoff, but did not reposition the switch to the neutral position. The overheated flap motor was another source of heat and smoke in the cockpit.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT OVERSHOT THE RWY ON LANDING AND CRASHED INTO A FENCE, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES AE UNKNOWN. (FROM .19) ON MAY 8, 1999, AT 0750 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, AN AMATEUR BUILT EXPERIMENTAL GARRETT GLASAIR-SH-2R, N6DM, COLLIDED WITH A FENCE DURING A LANDING OVERRUN ON RUNWAY 32 AT ST. JOHN, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE PILOT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN FOR THE PERSONAL CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT PAYSON, AZ., AT AN UNKNOWN TIME, AND WAS DESTINED FOR PAMPA, TX. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS AT 12,000 FEET IN CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN HE SMELLED A SMOKE ODOR FROM THE COCKPIT AREA. HE THEN STATED THAT THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM A MICROSWITCH FOR THE CLUTCH. HE SAID HIS PASSENGER BECAME EXCITED AND HE ELECTED TO LAND AT ST. JOHN TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. DURING THE LANDING ATTEMPT HE SUBSEQUENTLY OVERSHOT RUNWAY 32, OVERRAN THE RUNWAY, AND COLLIDED WITH AN AIRPORT BOUNDARY FENCE. (.4)THE PILOT WAS ABOUT 35 MINUTES INTO A PLANNED CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT WHEN HE SMELLED A SMOKE ODOR FROM THE COCKPIT AREA, AND BEGAN TO SEE SMOKE COMING FROM A THE SWITCH WHICH CONTROLS THE FLAP MOTOR. THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND, AND ELECTED TO TURN OFF THE ELECTRICAL POWER AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. THE PILOT SAID HE MISJUDGED THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 3, SO HE TURNED THE POWER BACK ON, RESTARTED THE ENGINE, AND SET UP FOR AN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 32. AFTER DETERMINING THAT THE LANDING WAS ASSURED, HE AGAIN TURNED OFF THE ELECTRICAL AND ENGINE POWER AND GLIDED TO A LANDING ON RUNWAY 32. DURING THE LANDING, HE OVERSHOT THE TOUCHDOWN POINT, OVERRAN THE RUNWAY SURFACE, AND COLLIDED WITH AN AIRPORT BOUNDARY FENCE. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE WIRE SPLICES LEADING TO THE FLAP MOTOR WERE TOUCHING EACH OTHER AND ARCING, CAUSING THE SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. ADDITIONALLY, THE THREE-POSITION FLAP MOTOR SWITCH WAS EXAMINED. IN THE DOWN POSITION THE SWITCH IS SPRING LOADED TO RETURN TO NEUTRAL; HOWEVER, IN THE FLAPS UP POSITION, THE SWITCH MUST BE PHYSICALLY RETURNED TO THE NEUTRAL POSITION. THERE ARE NO LIMIT STOP PROXIMITY SWITCHES IN THE SYSTEM AND THE MOTOR WILL CONT INUE TO RUN IN EITHER THE UP OR DOWN DIRECTION IF THE COCKPIT SWITCH IS IN OTHER THAN THE NEUTRAL POSITION. THE FLAPS AFTER MOTOR HAD CONTINUE TO RUN AFTER THE PILOT RETRACTED THE FLAPS AFTER TAKEOFF, BUT DID NOT REPOSITION THE SWITCH TO THE NEUTRAL POSITION. THE OVERHEATED FLAP MOTOR WAS ANOTHER SOURCE OF HEAT AND SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.