Incident Overview
A Beech D35 aircraft, while landing at a private airstrip, collided with a tractor-trailer traveling on an adjacent county road. The aircraft had departed from the same airstrip fifteen minutes earlier.
Sequence of Events
The final approach was conducted to the south, directly into the sun. On short final, the pilot looked down to confirm that the landing gear was extended. When he looked up again, he saw the tractor-trailer immediately before impact. The left main landing gear struck the top right front corner of the trailer. Following the collision, the aircraft rotated approximately 70 degrees before impacting the ground.
Investigation Findings
The highway patrol investigation determined that vehicles traveling westbound on County Road 457 were obscured from view by trees located on the side of the road opposite the airstrip. The truck driver was not injured in the incident.