Primary finding
Probable cause
collision with a fence post during landing roll after an inadvertent landing at the wrong field.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The 81-year-old pilot was flying to the glencoe municipal airport to pick up parachutists. The glencoe airport has a grass runway. The pilot landed in a grass field one-half mile south of the airport. Witnesses reported the pilot circled the field before landing. The airplane struck a fence post and nosed over during landing roll. After the pilot exited the airplane it was consumed by fire.
Source record
Factual narrative
On May 22, 1994, about 1200 central daylight time, a Cessna 182B, N7261E, was destroyed by fire after it struck a pole and nosed over during landing in a field near Glencoe, Minnesota. The commercial pilot was not injured. The personal flight originated at the Flying Cloud Airport, St. Paul, Minnesota. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The purpose of the flight was to pick up a group of parachutists who were waiting at the Glencoe Municipal Airport. The Glencoe Municipal Airport has a grass/turf runway. The field the pilot landed in was about one-half mile south of the Glencoe Municipal Airport, and was a grass field. Witnesses reported the pilot circled the field once and landed. The wing struck a fence post during landing roll, and nosed-over. -