Incident Overview
A private pilot with 400 flight hours attempted to land on what he believed was the approved sod runway 14L at an airport. However, he mistakenly aligned with a freshly mowed area located to the east of the actual runway. During the initial touchdown, the airplane encountered a shallow depression running perpendicular to its path, causing the aircraft to bounce back into the air.
Second Touchdown and Damage
On the second touchdown, the airplane impacted a drainage ditch. The force of this impact collapsed the nose landing gear, rendering the aircraft unable to continue taxiing under its own power.
FAA Inspector Observations
An FAA inspector who visited the accident site noted that the confines of the 2,800-foot sod runway were difficult to discern due to its lack of usage. The grass color was uniformly the same shade of green as the surrounding terrain, providing no contrast. Additionally, the worn areas typically present in the touchdown zone and along the runway centerline were absent. These visual cues are normally relied upon by pilots to identify the runway boundaries.
Pilot Familiarity
The investigation could not determine the pilot's level of familiarity with sod runway 14L or the airport in general.