What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft was on approach to runway 21 at AZ82, when its right wing outboard leading edge, hit the top of an 80-foot tree aligned with the runway, 1,500 feet from the runway threshold. The aircraft?s wing-tip light shroud and glass cover were found near the tree along with 3-inch diameter branches from the top of the tree. The runway?s threshold is at 6,628 feet MSL and the top of the tree the aircraft struck is about 35 feet above the runway threshold altitude. The runway crowns the top of a hill that peaks just before the threshold of 21. Runway 21 has a 750 foot long, down sloping displaced threshold, which is followed by 500 foot long down sloping taxiway, which is aligned with the runway. The taxiway ends at a house on the airpark, which is just to the right of the approach end of runway 21. The roof of that house is the second point of contact in the accident sequence. Signature marks from the upper surface of the aircraft?s right wing start on the left side of the crown of the roof, which is parallel to runway 21, and continue diagonally to the peak of the roof (aircraft is inverted at this point). The next signatures are about half way down the right side of the roof, and near the airport end of the roof, where the propeller made three gouges through the roof. One of the blades broke off was found 170 feet from the home aligned with the runway. The damage to the roof and the breaking of the propeller blade at its root, indicate significant power produced at the moment the propeller struck the roof. The aircraft then hit a second tree directly adjacent to the house at about 20 feet off the ground. The collapsed bottom of the fuselage and bottom of the inboard part of the left wing indicated that the bottom of the aircraft impacted the tree in a nose down configuration. The tail scorpioned over the left side of the fuselage and remained in the tree. The aircraft then hit the tarmac of the airpark taxi way inverted and there were scrape marks and oil marks consistent with the airplane rotating across the ramp. The main wreckage was inverted and was pointed in the direction of about 250°.
The recovered aircraft was inspected with no abnormalities found in its power plant or controls. A fight was conducted to AZ82, a private airpark, with several low approaches to runway 21 trying to determine if the crowning of the runway combined with downward sloping displaced threshold and taxiway, would create an illusion that could cause the pilot to fixate on the end of the taxiway as the landing target. No illusions were identified. The markings intended to identify the runway threshold however, were faded, providing little contrast, making identifying the runway threshold more difficult. The NTSB advised the airpark owner?s association of this concern.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT WAS ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 21 AT AZ82, WHEN ITS RIGHT WING OUTBOARD LEADING EDGE, HIT THE TOP OF AN 80-FOOT TREE ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY, 1,500 FEET FROM THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. THE AIRCRAFT?S WING-TIP LIGHT SHROUD AND GLASS COVER WERE FOUND NEAR THE TREE ALONG WITH 3-INCH DIAMETER BRANCHES FROM THE TOP OF THE TREE. THE RUNWAY?S THRESHOLD IS AT 6,628 FEET MSL AND THE TOP OF THE TREE THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK IS ABOUT 35 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD ALTITUDE. THE RUNWAY CROWNS THE TOP OF A HILL THAT PEAKS JUST BEFORE THE THRESHOLD OF 21. RUNWAY 21 HAS A 750 FOOT LONG, DOWN SLOPING DISPLACED THRESHOLD, WHICH IS FOLLOWED BY 500 FOOT LONG DOWN SLOPING TAXIWAY, WHICH IS ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY. THE TAXIWAY ENDS AT A HOUSE ON THE AIRPARK, WHICH IS JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 21. THE ROOF OF THAT HOUSE IS THE SECOND POINT OF CONTACT IN THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE. SIGNATURE MARKS FROM THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE AIRCRAFT?S RIGHT WING START ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CROWN OF THE ROOF, WHICH IS PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 21, AND CONTINUE DIAGONALLY TO THE PEAK OF THE ROOF (AIRCRAFT IS INVERTED AT THIS POINT). THE NEXT SIGNATURES ARE ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROOF, AND NEAR THE AIRPORT END OF THE ROOF, WHERE THE PROPELLER MADE THREE GOUGES THROUGH THE ROOF. ONE OF THE BLADES BROKE OFF WAS FOUND 170 FEET FROM THE HOME ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY. THE DAMAGE TO THE ROOF AND THE BREAKING OF THE PROPELLER BLADE AT ITS ROOT, INDICATE SIGNIFICANT POWER PRODUCED AT THE MOMENT THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE ROOF. THE AIRCRAFT THEN HIT A SECOND TREE DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE HOUSE AT ABOUT 20 FEET OFF THE GROUND. THE COLLAPSED BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE AND BOTTOM OF THE INBOARD PART OF THE LEFT WING INDICATED THAT THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE TREE IN A NOSE DOWN CONFIGURATION. THE TAIL SCORPIONED OVER THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE AND REMAINED IN THE TREE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN HIT THE TARMAC OF THE AIRPARK TAXI WAY INVERTED AND THERE WERE SCRAPE MARKS AND OIL MARKS CONSISTENT WITH THE AIRPLANE ROTATING ACROSS THE RAMP. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS INVERTED AND WAS POINTED IN THE DIRECTION OF ABOUT 250°.
THE RECOVERED AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED WITH NO ABNORMALITIES FOUND IN ITS POWER PLANT OR CONTROLS. A FIGHT WAS CONDUCTED TO AZ82, A PRIVATE AIRPARK, WITH SEVERAL LOW APPROACHES TO RUNWAY 21 TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THE CROWNING OF THE RUNWAY COMBINED WITH DOWNWARD SLOPING DISPLACED THRESHOLD AND TAXIWAY, WOULD CREATE AN ILLUSION THAT COULD CAUSE THE PILOT TO FIXATE ON THE END OF THE TAXIWAY AS THE LANDING TARGET. NO ILLUSIONS WERE IDENTIFIED. THE MARKINGS INTENDED TO IDENTIFY THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD HOWEVER, WERE FADED, PROVIDING LITTLE CONTRAST, MAKING IDENTIFYING THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD MORE DIFFICULT. THE NTSB ADVISED THE AIRPARK OWNER?S ASSOCIATION OF THIS CONCERN.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.