What happened
On March 15, 2012, a Cessna 501, registration N7700T, was involved in a fatal accident while attempting to land at Macon County Airport (1A5) in Franklin, North Carolina. The flight had departed from Venice Municipal Airport in Florida earlier that day.
During the approach to runway 25, the aircraft was observed to be high. The pilot performed a go-around, but the second approach was also high, with a steepening, nose-down approach angle. The nosegear touched down approximately halfway down the runway, followed by the main gear. The aircraft then bounced, and the engine noise increased. The airplane banked to the right, causing the right wing to contact the ground. The aircraft subsequently flipped over off the right side of the runway, resulting in a postcrash fire.
There were 5 fatal injuries involving the pilot and four passengers.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and found the aircraft was inverted in a grassy area approximately 50 feet off the right side of the runway. The postcrash fire consumed much of the cockpit and cabin.
Mechanical examination of the engines did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions. However, investigators found that the right engine thrust reverser was in the deployed position, while the left engine thrust reverser was stowed. The right throttle lever was in the aft position near the flight idle stop, with the thrust reverser lever deployed.
Analysis of the landing gear and flaps showed they were in the fully extended position. While the aircraft's manual states that single-engine reversing is controllable during normal landings, investigators determined that the activation of only one reverser during the bounce likely created asymmetrical thrust that worsened the uncontrolled touchdown.