# Incident 20260531008909I: Smith AEROSTAR 600A, Bonifay, FL, May 31, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 31, 2026, 21:00 local time
- Place: Bonifay, FL
- Airport: Bonifay
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.7813° N, 85.6888° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Bonifay, FL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.7813&lon=-85.6888&mi=10
- Aircraft: N211W, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N211W) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Smith AEROSTAR 600A (registry code 8360604, https://openairdocs.org/model/smith-aerostar-600a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SMITH AEROSTAR 600A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 9,025 total, 105 in this make and model, 29 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260531008909I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AFTER BEING DIVERTED TO AN ALTERNATE AIRPORT DUE TO WEATHER, AN APPROACH WAS MADE BUT PILOT WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE RUNWAY DUE TO BEING UNABLE TO ACTIVATE THE RUNWAY LIGHTS.  PILOT MADE A 360 DEGREE TURN AND IDENTIFIED WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE RUNWAY.  PILOT LANDED ON THE TAXIWAY STRIKING AN AIRPORT ELEVATION MARKER AND TAXIWAY SIGN BEFORE COMING TO A STOP.

## Other reports on N211W (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20171027021289A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20171027021289A), Oct 27, 2017: Smith AEROSTAR 600A (N211W), Tallahassee, FL, Substantial damage. The pilot retracted the gears after takeoff rotation and during this phase of flight the aircraft settled down back onto the runway veering off the runway to…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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