24 Mar 2012: SMITH AEROSTAR 601P — Louis F. Fabre

24 Mar 2012: SMITH AEROSTAR 601P — Louis F. Fabre

No fatalities • Casterville, TX, United States

Probable cause

The pilot did not maintain control of the airplane while circling to land.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

The pilot flew the GPS approach and stated he was able to see the runway upon reaching the missed approach point; however, he was not “in a position” to land the airplane. He stated he decided to circle to land with full flaps while maintaining an airspeed of 140 miles per hour. The airplane entered an “unusually high” sink rate during the turn. The pilot added full power and leveled the wings, but the airplane continued to descend. The airplane impacted the terrain off the end of and to the right of the runway. The airplane received substantial damage to the left wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures/malfunctions which resulted in the accident.

Contributing factors

  • cause Pilot
  • cause Performance/control parameters — Not attained/maintained

Conditions

Weather
IMC, wind 000/00kt, vis 2sm

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