Primary finding
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate visual lookout. A factor associated with the accident is the fence post.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported the airplane's right wing struck a fence post as he was attempting to land in a hay field owned by a relative. The pilot said he had flown from the same field earlier in the day, but on the accident flight he failed to see the fence post during his approach to land.
Source record
Factual narrative
On October 11, 1994, about 1700 central daylight time, a Piper PA-22-108 airplane, N5433Z, received substantial damage when it collided with a fence post while landing in a field near Mt. Vernon, Missouri. The solo private pilot was not injured. The local, personal flight originated about 1650, and operated in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The pilot reported the accident occurred while he was attempting to land on a hay field owned by a relative. He said one of the fence posts bordering the hay field stuck up higher than the others, and the right wing strut struck that post during the landing flare. The pilot stated he had flown the airplane from the same field earlier in the day. -