What happened
During the landing roll on a 4,200-foot long, 60-foot wide asphalt runway, a tailwheel-equipped airplane drifted off the right side of the pavement. The pilot, who had 1,100 hours of flight time, attempted to execute a go-around.
During this maneuver, the main landing gear struck the top of a sand dune. In an effort to avoid a hill located directly in front of the aircraft, the pilot attempted to turn the airplane to the left. This maneuver resulted in the aircraft striking a second sand dune with both the main landing gear and the tailwheel. The aircraft landed hard but came to rest in an upright position. At the time of the accident, the pilot reported wind conditions of approximately 340 degrees at 5 knots.
Findings
- The aircraft drifted off the right side of the runway during the landing roll.
- A go-around attempt was initiated following the initial excursion.