No fatalities

29 Jan 2020: Mitsubishi MU 2B-40 (N425GZ) — Chilton, WI

Chilton, WI, United States

On 29 Jan 2020, a Mitsubishi MU 2B-40 (registration N425GZ) was involved in an aviation accident near Chilton, WI. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to land on the turf runway with insufficient landing performance and his subsequent loss of control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A Mitsubishi MU-2B-40, N425GZ, was substantially damaged while landing at a private turf airstrip in Chilton, Wisconsin; the pilot was uninjured.

History of Flight

On January 29, 2020, about 0900 central standard time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 airplane, registration N425GZ, sustained substantial damage during a landing accident at Flying Feathers Airport (11Y) in Chilton, Wisconsin. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was notified of the accident on March 12, 2020, by the airframe manufacturer; the pilot did not report the accident. According to the pilot, while landing on his private turf airstrip, the airplane yawed to the left and the right wing contacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage.

Personnel Information

The pilot had completed an initial MU-2 training course on December 14, 2019, which included 14.9 flight hours and 20 hours of ground training, as required by 14 CFR Part 91 Subpart N.

Wreckage and Impact Information

An examination of the airplane, including engine rigging, propellers, and flight control continuity, did not reveal any anomalies that would have caused a directional control issue.

Additional Information

The flight manual provided landing distance information for a dry, hard surface runway only. Landing distance data for a turf runway was not available to the pilot. Investigators calculated landing performance based on ambient temperature, calm wind, zero runway slope, an airplane weight of 500 lbs above empty weight, flaps at 20°, and no reverse thrust. The estimated landing distance over a 50-foot obstacle and ground roll were 2,500 feet and 1,500 feet, respectively. The manufacturer estimated that on a turf or wet runway, the landing distance over a 50-foot obstacle would be about 4,250 feet, with a ground roll of about 3,250 feet.

The pilot did not respond to requests for additional information, such as expected landing distance, runway braking condition, touchdown location, actions taken after touchdown, and where the airplane departed the runway surface.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotDecision related to condition

Other contributing factors

Capability exceededPerformance/control parameters — Not attained/maintained