Accident Details
On July 2, 2016, at approximately 1020 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-22-150 single-engine airplane, registration N5788D, was substantially damaged when it collided with a wire fence and terrain during landing at Houghton Lake State Airport (5Y2), near Houghton Lake Heights, Michigan. The private pilot and three passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 and had departed about 1000 from a local flight.
Aircraft and Flight
The aircraft was a Piper PA-22-150, a single-engine tailwheel airplane. The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to give the passengers an introductory flight in conjunction with an event hosted by a local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association. The pilot stated that no mechanical issues were observed during the earlier flight from the base airport to Houghton Lake. The flight departed runway 34 (2,750 feet by 104 feet, turf), climbed to 2,500 feet mean sea level, and completed a local tour before entering the traffic pattern for a full-stop landing on runway 34.
Weather
Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The closest aviation weather station, at Roscommon County Airport (HTL), about 5.6 miles east, reported at 0953: surface wind from 270 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 19°C, dew point 11°C, altimeter 30.15 inHg. The next hourly report at 1053 indicated variable wind between 230 and 300 degrees at 8 knots.
Sequence of Events
While on final approach, as the airplane passed over a tree line, the pilot reported encountering a downdraft that caused the airplane to descend below a normal glide path. The pilot increased engine power to arrest the descent, but the main landing gear collided with a wire fence located near the approach end of the runway. The airplane then landed hard on its nose landing gear, causing the nose gear to collapse. The airplane skidded to a stop in a nose-down attitude on the runway. The fuselage, engine firewall, and left wing were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.