- Date
- July 10, 2015, 21:45 local (Jul 11, 2015, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Palatka, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N59PBHaphey Bruce Frederic Mustang II
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 11, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20150710012919A
- Case key
- 91543
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 maintain airplane control during a balked landing and attempted go-around in dark night conditions and without a landing light, which resulted in collision with terrain.
Findings · 5
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
During a cross country flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur built airplane encountered thunderstorms along his route. This added an additional 45 minutes of unanticipated flight time. He was concerned that night conditions were present, his airplane was not equipped with a landing light, and his destination airport was not lighted; as a result, he decided to divert to another airport which was equipped with lighting and had a longer paved runway. During his first attempt to land at the diversion airport, he was too fast on final approach and elected to go-around. During his second attempt to land, he misjudged his rate of descent and landed hard. The airplane then bounced twice. After the second bounce, he attempted to recover and go-around by adding full power and right rudder but the airplane entered a left roll, struck the ground with its left wingtip, and then cartwheeled, separating the engine before coming to rest inverted. During his egress from the airplane, the pilot received minor injuries. Examination of the airplane revealed that it was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
During a cross country flight, the pilot of the experimental amateur built airplane encountered thunderstorms along his route. This added an additional 45 minutes of unanticipated flight time. He was concerned that night conditions were present, his airplane was not equipped with a landing light, and his destination airport was not lighted; as a result, he decided to divert to another airport which was equipped with lighting and had a longer paved runway. During his first attempt to land at the diversion airport, he was too fast on final approach and elected to go-around. During his second attempt to land, he misjudged his rate of descent and landed hard. The airplane then bounced twice. After the second bounce, he attempted to recover and go-around by adding full power and right rudder but the airplane entered a left roll, struck the ground with its left wingtip, and then cartwheeled, separating the engine before coming to rest inverted. During his egress from the airplane, the pilot received minor injuries. Examination of the airplane revealed that it was substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59PB
- Reported as
- Haphey Bruce Frederic Mustang II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1276
- Built
- 1992
- Airframe hours
- 262.35
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B1E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 15, 2014 · 65 hours before
- Departed
- 79J · Andalusia, AL
- Destination
- 7FL4 · Green Cove, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 28J · Palatka Municipal Airport, runway 9, 6,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot
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
- 67
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 5,985.7 total · 34.2 in this make and model · 26.2 in the last 90 days · 20.6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- 28J
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 31, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.