- Date
- October 24, 2015, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Warrentown, VA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N406XMaule M5
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing area undershoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20151024020819A
- Case key
- 92229
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 clearance of a cattle-guard fence on landing. Contributing to the accident was his lack of recent flying experience.
Findings · 4
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 private pilot stated that this was his first flight in over a year due to cataract surgery. He planned to do a few touch and go landings to regain currency before departing on a local flight. The pilot said that upon his first attempt to land, he failed to maintain clearance of a cattle-guard fence that was located at the end of the grass runway. The airplane's main landing gear snagged the cattle-guard causing the nose of the airplane to dive into the ground. The airplane then nosed over inverted and came to rest upside down, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall, both sets of wing struts, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder. The pilot said there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane and the accident was due to his lack of recent experience and ability to judge the airplane's height above the cattle-guard.
Factual narrative
The private pilot stated that this was his first flight in over a year due to cataract surgery. He planned to do a few touch and go landings to regain currency before departing on a local flight. The pilot said that upon his first attempt to land, he failed to maintain clearance of a cattle-guard fence that was located at the end of the grass runway. The airplane's main landing gear snagged the cattle-guard causing the nose of the airplane to dive into the ground. The airplane then nosed over inverted and came to rest upside down, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall, both sets of wing struts, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder. The pilot said there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane and the accident was due to his lack of recent experience and ability to judge the airplane's height above the cattle-guard.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N406X
- Reported as
- Maule M5 (235C)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7039C
- Built
- 1976
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-540, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richards Thomas J
- Registered owner
- Richards Thomas J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 7VGO · Warrentown, VA
- Destination
- 7VGO · Warrentown, VA
- Airport
- 7VGO · Warrenton Air park, runway 4, 2,215 × 70 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- None
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
- 78
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 15, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 720 total · 150 in this make and model · 0 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- HWY, 5 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 2, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 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.