Incident Overview
Witnesses reported that the airplane approached the runway at a very low angle. The aircraft crossed a four-lane highway that ran perpendicular to the runway and the final approach course. During the crossing, the landing gear of the airplane struck the top of a southbound semi-trailer truck's air deflector and trailer. Following the impact, the airplane collided with the ground approximately 140 feet west of the point where it struck the truck.
Pilot Experience
According to the pilot's logbook, she had accumulated over 37 hours of total flight experience. Of those hours, she had flown approximately 26 hours at an airport with runways that were 100 and 150 feet wide. She had flown about 11 hours at the accident airport, where the runway width was 33 feet.
Perception and Runway Width
A Human Performance Specialist at the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute noted that differences in runway width may be a source of distortion in perception during landing. The specialist explained that when a runway is narrower than normal, a pilot may experience an illusion that causes them to fly a lower than normal final approach path.