- Date
- July 2, 2010, 19:45 local (Jul 3, 2010, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Montezuma, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N278JAAdams John R JR Piel Diamant
- Defining event
- Landing: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report October 21, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100703038929A
- Case key
- 76555
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 from road signs during landing.
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
While on a cross country flight the pilot recognized that he had been using the wrong road to navigate to his destination. He decided to turn around and return to the departure airport. The pilot reported that he was concerned with the approaching night and decreasing light condition. As the amount of light continued to decrease he elected to make a precautionary landing on a road prior to reaching the departure airport. The pilot stated that either during the landing or taxi the underside of the wing was damaged by contact with a road marker. Further damage to the wing caused by contacting additional road markers occurred when the pilot taxied off the road to park the airplane and again when repositioning the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no known mechanical malfunctions or failures with the aircraft prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
While on a cross country flight the pilot recognized that he had been using the wrong road to navigate to his destination. He decided to turn around and return to the departure airport. The pilot reported that he was concerned with the approaching night and decreasing light condition. As the amount of light continued to decrease he elected to make a precautionary landing on a road prior to reaching the departure airport. The pilot stated that either during the landing or taxi the underside of the wing was damaged by contact with a road marker. Further damage to the wing caused by contacting additional road markers occurred when the pilot taxied off the road to park the airplane and again when repositioning the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no known mechanical malfunctions or failures with the aircraft prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N278JA
- Reported as
- Adams John R JR Piel Diamant
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 777
- Airframe hours
- 500
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-346 SERIES, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Narramore Todd I
- Registered owner
- Narramore Todd I
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · December 30, 2006
- Departed
- 66V · Bluff, UT
- Destination
- KBDG · Blanding, UT
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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 29, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,460 total · 360 in this make and model · 1,400 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 260° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- KBDG, 24 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 14, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 616 KB 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.