- Date
- September 11, 2004, 16:40 local (Sep 12, 2004, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Kenai, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N354BBailey Merlin GT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20040911024849A
- Case key
- 60128
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during the landing roll, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain during the subsequent aborted landing. A factor associated with the accident was a gusty wind condition.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The private pilot of the experimental airplane elected to land with a quartering tailwind to meld in with traffic. He said the airplane bounced on the initial touchdown, and upon touching down the second time, a gust of wind from the left and behind, lifted the left wing and the airplane became airborne. He applied full power to abort the landing, but the airplane settled and impacted the runway, collapsing the landing gear and damaging the left wing.
Factual narrative
On September 11, 2004, about 1640 Alaska daylight time, an experimental Bailey Merlin GT airplane, N354B, sustained substantial damage when it collided with terrain during an aborted landing at the Kenai Airport, Kenai, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal local flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot and sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on September 11, the pilot said he elected to land with a quartering tailwind to meld in with traffic. He said the airplane bounced on the initial touch down, and upon touching down the second time, a gust of wind from the left and behind, lifted the left wing, and the airplane became airborne. He said he applied full power to abort the landing, but the airplane settled and impacted the runway, collapsing the landing gear. The pilot indicated in addition to the landing gear, the left wing was damaged. He said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N354B
- Reported as
- Bailey Merlin GT
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- MB-99
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marvin Bailey
- Registered owner
- Marvin Bailey
- Departed
- PAEN · Kenai, AK
- Destination
- Kenai, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 294 total · 127 in this make and model · 43 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.