CHI95LA251

Witnesses said the airplane approached for landing with excessive airspeed and floated down the runway until insufficient runway remained to stop. The aircraft was substantially damaged when it continued past the end of the runway, through a field and came to rest in a drainage ditch approximately 200 feet from the end of the runway. The pilot told investigators that the crosswind made the landing difficult. The pilot had a total flying time of 13 hours in make and model.

On July 29, 1995, at 1335 central daylight time (cdt), a Aviat, Inc. Pitts S2B, N1585P, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a landing overrun on runway 05 (turf, 1927 feet long) at Junction City, Kansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries and the sole passenger received minor injuries. The flight departed from Goodland, Kansas, at 1200 cdt.

Witnesses reported that the airplane approached too fast for landing and "bounced a couple of times" until insufficient runway remained to stop. The aircraft continued past the end of the runway, through a field and came to rest in a drainage ditch approximately 200 feet from the end of the runway.

The pilot was flying the aircraft from the rear seat and reported that he flew the final approach "too fast for (the) runway length." The pilot also told investigators that the crosswind made the landing difficult and that high ambient temperatures may have impaired his (physiological) performance. He also reported that he had completed a biennial flight review in the Aviat S2B on July 2, 1995, and had a total flying time of 13 hours in make and model.