- Date
- March 26, 2016, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Marathon, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3068MMatthews H Thomas Jodel F11 A
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 12, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA - Lubbock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20160326002869A
- Case key
- 92933
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 failure to conduct a go-around in a timely manner, which resulted in impact with trees and a powerline.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The airline transport pilot stated that he was landing in the experimental amateur-built airplane at his 1,600-ft-long private runway when he attempted a "late" go-around. The airplane impacted trees, a powerline, and terrain, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
On March 26, 2016, about 1500 central daylight time, an amateur-built Jodel F11-A airplane, N3068M, sustained substantial damage when it struck trees, wires, and terrain, during a go-around from runway 35 at the Los Muertos Airport, Marathon, Texas. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, received serious injuries. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Fort Stockton-Pecos County Airport, Fort Stockton, Texas about 1430. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane and that the airplane hit trees and a power line during the attempted go-around. He reported to a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector that he initiated the go-around late and that the airplane had insufficient climb performance to clear the trees and power line at the departure end of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3068M
- Reported as
- Matthews H Thomas Jodel F11 A (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 5279
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 300
- Engine
- Continental C-75, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 13, 2015
- Departed
- FST · Fort Stockton, TX
- Destination
- 6TE2 · Marathon, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- 6TE2 · Los Muertos, runway 35, 1,560 × 40 ft, dirt
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
- 68
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 40 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- E38
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 4, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.