CEN16LA242

The pilot’s inadequate flight planning and navigation for a flight at night, which resulted in his having to conduct a precautionary landing on an interstate highway due to low fuel and impacting the post of a wire road divider.

The sport pilot was conducting a personal local flight at night. The pilot reported that he was unable to locate the destination airport because it was dark. The airplane was low on fuel, so he decided to land the airplane on an interstate highway. During the landing roll, the airplane's right wing hit a wire road divider post, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot stated that the airplane did not have any mechanical failures during the flight. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

**This report was modified on August 16, 2016. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.** On July 1, 2016, about 2206 central daylight time, a Czech Aircraft Works Sportcruiser, N236SC, sustained substantial damage during an off airport landing on Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) near Wyoming, Minnesota. The sport pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the flight, which was not on a flight plan. The flight departed the Cambridge Municipal Airport (CBG), Cambridge, Minnesota, about 2000 on a local flight. The pilot stated to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he could not find CBG because it was dark. The airplane was low on fuel and he could not see an airport beacon, so he landed the airplane on a road, which turned out to be I-35. During the landing roll, he attempted to maneuver the airplane into the ditch between the northbound and southbound lanes of the highway to avoid the traffic on the highway. The airplane's right wing hit the post of a wire road divider causing substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot stated that the airplane did not have any mechanical failures while airborne. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.