Accident Details
On September 13, 2014, at about 1340 eastern daylight time, a Cessna T210N, registration N5132C, nosed over following a landing overrun at Montgomery County Airpark (GAI) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The commercial pilot and two other crew members were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The aircraft was registered to the pilot and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary as a public-use flight.
Flight History
The flight originated at about 1130 EDT from Millville Municipal Airport (MIV), Millville, New Jersey, and was destined for GAI. The pilot stated the purpose was to observe boat traffic on several waterways. After takeoff from GAI, they flew for about 2.5 hours, then proceeded to MIV and landed uneventfully. The flight departed visual flight rules (VFR) and flew over Delaware Bay, Chesapeake and Delaware Canals, Chesapeake Bay, and the northern part of Chesapeake Bay before proceeding to GAI.
Approach and Landing
While inbound to GAI, the pilot obtained Baltimore weather from XM satellite. When the flight was 5 miles from GAI, he noted cloud cover. While talking with Potomac Approach Control, he requested an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance and climbed to either 3,500 or 3,000 feet. In instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), he was vectored toward Frederick and cleared for the RNAV (GPS) approach. At TIMBE (the final approach fix), he extended the landing gear and lowered flaps to 10 degrees, continuing the approach and breaking out at 500 feet. He noticed the aircraft was 50 to 100 yards left of the runway. With the runway in sight, he turned right in a gentle 270-degree turn, maintaining 80 knots. After the turn, he aligned with the runway and lowered flaps to 40 degrees, maintaining 79 knots. He touched down about halfway down the runway. After touchdown, he kept flaps at that position and applied brakes, but they were not effective. The airplane traveled off the end of the runway onto grass and contacted a mound, causing it to nose over. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction.
Witness Accounts
The right front seat passenger, who was not pilot-rated but well acquainted with aviation, reported that during the approach, the flight broke out of clouds at 600 feet with a clear view of the runway but was significantly left of the runway. The pilot executed a go-around and turned to return to runway 14 while maintaining visual contact with the wet runway. During descent, there appeared to be choppy wind conditions with altitude deviations of 50 feet. The passenger indicated the pilot struggled to bring the aircraft to the runway and landed about halfway down. The passenger observed strong brake effort but no slowing, and the airplane went off the end at about 45 knots. The nose landing gear collapsed after contacting rising terrain, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted.
The rear seat passenger confirmed that below clouds, the airplane was left of the runway. The pilot went around to the right and landed about one-quarter to one-third down the runway. The passenger felt moderate force from braking and was surprised by the nose-over.
A witness in an airplane near the approach end of runway 14, waiting for IFR release, reported a right quartering tailwind. He observed the airplane left of his position flying south, then banking right over the runway turning north, then losing sight. About 20 seconds later, the airplane flew over his position at about 200 feet above ground level in a southerly direction, then south of the runway banked left to correct. The witness estimated the airplane touched down between two-thirds and three-quarters down the runway, then he saw the tail in the air. He called Potomac Approach, believing it was the common traffic advisory frequency, to alert of the accident.
Weather and Conditions
A surface observation weather report at GAI at 1335, about 5 minutes before the accident, indicated wind from 290 degrees at 7 knots with no gusts. The pilot later noted a 5- to 8-knot tailwind component after exiting the airplane. He stated that about 10 minutes before the approach, he was given wind as 3 to 5 knots but did not recall the direction. He also reported standing water on the runway from previous rain.
Post-Accident Examination
According to the airport manager, the location where the airplane came to rest was approximately 725 feet past the departure end of the runway. Plotting of radar data onto a GPS Runway 14 Approach Chart by NTSB personnel showed that the pilot flew over BEGKA (the intermediate fix) and maintained the final approach course until near TIMBE, where the airplane flew slightly south of TIMBE. The radar data indicated the flight was not established on the final approach course from before TIMBE to the final radar return, which was located southeast of JOXOX. S-type turns were noted between TIMBE and after JOXOX, which is located 2.3 nautical miles from runway 14.