Introduction
On Thursday 26 April 2012 at 11:50 local time, a Beechcraft 35-C33 registered D-ECLD was heavily damaged during a go-around at Colmar Houssen aerodrome.
Flight History
The pilot and two passengers departed Colmar at 11:28 for a local flight. At 11:49, the pilot joined a long final approach for runway 19. During the flare, the aircraft banked and deviated to the left. The pilot added power to realign with the centerline, then reduced power for landing. Considering himself poorly positioned, he decided to go around. The aircraft banked sharply left; the pilot applied right stick and right rudder. The left wingtip struck the ground. The aircraft crashed and came to rest 30 meters left of the runway and 500 meters beyond the threshold.
Weather Information
The ATIS at the time of the event indicated wind from 100° at 6 knots. However, the controller reported that during the return of the local flight, he had informed the pilot that the wind was calm.
Pilot Information
The pilot, based at the aerodrome, held a private pilot license issued in December 2008. He had logged 275 total flight hours, including 230 as pilot-in-command, and approximately 12 hours in the preceding three months. His logbook noted two flights totaling 1 hour 30 minutes on this aircraft five days before the accident.
Approach and Go-Around Details
The pilot stated that on short final, the indicated airspeed was 70 knots with full flaps (landing configuration). The front-right-seat passenger, also a pilot, noted that during the flare after a shallow approach, the speed was 65 knots. The stall speed in landing configuration per the flight manual is 52 knots. The aerodrome controller reported observing a pronounced nose-up pitch attitude before the aircraft banked left and contacted the ground.
Conclusion
The accident was due to inappropriate and excessive flight control inputs during the go-around, resulting in loss of control at very low altitude and subsequent collision with the ground.