On July 4, 1994, a Piper PA-12 (registration N2986M) was involved in an aviation accident near Watson, AR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a short-field approach and subsequent decision not to abort the landing, resulting in an overrun and collision with terrain. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot attempted a short-field approach on a sandy, grass road but could not slow down, overrunning the threshold and colliding with an embankment.
What happened
The pilot initiated a short-field approach to a narrow runway consisting of a 900-foot-long strip composed of sand and grass. During the final phase of the approach, the pilot was unable to reduce the airspeed sufficiently to meet the requirements for a safe landing on such a limited surface.
Instead of aborting the go-around or attempting a missed approach procedure, the pilot continued the descent. The aircraft failed to stop within the available distance and overran the threshold at the far end of the road. Upon exiting the runway environment, the airplane struck a dirt embankment. The impact caused the aircraft to nose over and come to rest in an inverted position.
The investigation
The post-accident examination revealed that the primary factor contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the approach despite being unable to slow down adequately for the short-field conditions. The physical constraints of the sandy, grass surface likely contributed to the difficulty in decelerating, but the failure to abort the landing attempt was the critical error.
Findings
Inability to slow down during final approach on a short-field runway.
Failure to abort the landing when performance targets were not met.
Overrunning the threshold of the 900-foot sandy, grass road.
Collision with a dirt embankment leading to a nose-over and inverted rest position.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a short-field approach and subsequent decision not to abort the landing, resulting in an overrun and collision with terrain.