3 Sep 2014: DAVIS BENNY CHRISTEN EAGLE II

3 Sep 2014: DAVIS BENNY CHRISTEN EAGLE II (N229HP) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Vinton, IA, United States

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of directional control during landing after the airplane encountered uneven pavement at the intersection with a crossing runway.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On September 3, 2014, about 1100 central daylight time, a Davis Benny Christen Eagle II airplane, N229HP, sustained substantial damage after a runway excursion during landing on runway 16 (2,500 feet by 50 feet, asphalt) at the Vinton Veterans Memorial Airpark (VTI), Vinton, Iowa. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operated on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Joliet Regional Airport (JOT), Joliet, Illinois, about 0945.The pilot reported that the airplane touched down on runway 16 just before the intersection with runway 9/27. The runway 9/27 intersection was located about 620 feet from the runway 16 approach threshold. He noted that there was a "significant dip and rise" at the intersection, which caused the airplane to become airborne again. He added that there was also a "pronounced crown" to runway 16 that tended to pull the airplane toward the left side of the runway. The left main landing gear wheel subsequently departed the left side of the runway pavement. Upon the pilot's attempt to return to the runway, the landing gear encountered the edge of the pavement, causing it to collapse. The pilot reported there were no failures or malfunctions with the airplane before the accident.

A witness recalled that the airplane touched down on runway 16, north of the intersection with runway 9/27. Within about one second, the airplane encountered the difference in the pavement height at the runway intersection causing it to become airborne again. The airplane drifted toward the right side of the runway. The pilot attempted to correct, but the airplane subsequently went off the left side of the runway. The witness noted that the airplane did not ground loop during the landing. The airplane came to rest facing west, with the nose on the runway and the tail in the grass.

The same witness, who was also a local pilot, stated that he normally slows the airplane before the runway intersection or lands past it. He added if a pilot landed near the intersection, they are going to get "hit pretty hard."

A second pilot reported he landed on runway 16 about one hour after the accident. He recalled touching down near the runway threshold; however, his airplane became airborne again due to a one or two foot drop off at the intersection with runway 09/27. Immediately after the runway intersection, the level of the pavement rose again, which caused his airplane to "bounce." His airplane drifted to the left and into the grass adjacent to the runway; however, his airplane was not damaged.

A member of the airport commission reported that there was an asphalt overlay on runway 16/34 in 2001. The pavement is uneven at the intersection with runway 9 -27; however, she did not recall it ever being a problem in the past. She also noted that the asphalt runway has a crown to facilitate drainage.

The pilot reported the wind was from 170 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 16 knots, at the time of the accident.

Contributing factors

  • cause Pilot
  • cause Directional control — Not attained/maintained
  • Contributed to outcome

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 180/06kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.