On August 3, 1994, a Maule M-5-210TC (registration N5641A) was involved in an aviation accident near Mosca, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot recalled taking off from a ranch airstrip but could not remember the landing or accident. Tire tracks led 500 feet down the 800-foot dirt runway, through two fences, crossed a highway, through a third fence, and ended at the airplane against a railroad berm. No mechanical failure was found.
Accident Sequence
The pilot of the airplane reported remembering the takeoff from his ranch airstrip, but could not recall the subsequent landing or the accident itself. Tire tracks were discovered on the runway, beginning approximately 500 feet from the start of the 800-foot dirt strip. The tracks continued off the runway and proceeded through two fences. A separate set of tracks was found on the opposite side of a highway. These tracks led through a third fence and terminated at the airplane's location, which had come to rest against an abandoned railroad track berm.
Investigation
An FAA inspector examined the wreckage and found no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. The investigation focused on the physical evidence left by the tire tracks to reconstruct the sequence of events. The pilot's inability to recall the landing and accident raised questions about his condition at the time, but the source does not specify any determination regarding that aspect. The absence of mechanical issues suggests that the pilot may have experienced a loss of control or other non-mechanical factors, but no conclusions were drawn in the source.