The Incident
On his second visit to Marshfield Airstrip, a pilot assessed the conditions for landing. The surface wind was blowing from 300°, across the 880-yard-long grass strip oriented 08/26. The pilot recalled that the strip had a significant slope, which he believed was uphill on runway 08. He decided to land on runway 08 to take advantage of the deceleration from an uphill landing.
The pilot made two approaches to the strip, each followed by a go-around, during which he evaluated the crosswind strength, which was stronger than forecast. On the third approach, the aircraft cleared trees near the runway threshold and touched down between one-third and one-half of the way along the strip. The pilot stated that this touchdown point was a deliberate decision, justified by the aircraft's ability to stop quickly on an uphill grass surface.
However, the pilot had actually landed in the downhill, downwind direction. He was unable to stop the aircraft on the wet grass before the end of the strip. The aircraft passed through a low, dry stone wall at the end of the grass at a speed of 15 knots and came to rest approximately 10 meters beyond the wall. All three landing gears collapsed rearwards.
No one was hurt, and there was no fire. All occupants were able to leave the aircraft through the normal exit door.