What happened
On February 4, 2009, a Cessna Ercoupe 415D, registration N87349, was involved in an accident during the landing phase at Whitehall, Montana. The pilot touched down past the intended touchdown point, causing the aircraft to bounce. In an attempt to recover, the pilot applied power to regain level flight before reducing power for a second landing attempt.
Upon applying the brakes during the second landing roll, the pilot determined that the remaining runway length was insufficient to stop the aircraft. To avoid an approaching ditch and a fence, the pilot executed a sharp right turn. During this maneuver, the left wing of the aircraft made contact with the ground, resulting in substantial damage. There were no injuries resulting from the event.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of the landing roll and the pilot's maneuvers to avoid obstacles.