Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point during landing. Factors were the wet, grass runway conditions.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The private pilot was landing the aircraft on a 1,600 foot long grass strip. He reported that the winds were calm, and the grass was wet. The aircraft touched down about 1/3 of the way down the runway, bounced, then touched down again at midfield. The pilot could not stop the aircraft in the remaining runway. The aircraft overran the runway, and collided with a drainage ditch, resulting in structural damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction or failure with the aircraft.
Source record
Factual narrative
On July 10, 1994, at 1130 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182K, N2452Q, landed long and overran the runway at a private, grass airstrip in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The aircraft collided with a ditch, and was substantially damaged. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. The aircraft was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by Triad Aviation, of Burlington, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight to Chapel Hill. The flight originated in Burlington at 1050. The pilot reported that the airplane initially touched down on runway 7 at a point about one-third of the way down the 1,600 foot long runway. The aircraft bounced, then touched down again at midfield. He was unable to stop the aircraft in the remaining runway distance. The aircraft overran the runway, and collided with a drainage ditch. Structural damage to the airframe resulted. He reported no mechanical malfunction or failure with the aircraft during the accident flight. He reported that the grass runway was wet at the time of the accident. -