Piper PA-22-150 N5788D accident near Houghton Lake Heights, Michigan

Probable cause

The pilot's delayed reaction to the variable wind condition, which resulted in an excessive descent rate and the airplane's subsequent collision with a wire fence short of the runway.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to provide the passengers with an introductory flight in conjunction with an event hosted by a local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association. He stated that there were no mechanical issues or anomalies with the airplane during an earlier flight. After departure, the airplane climbed to 2,500 ft mean sea level, and the pilot completed a local flight before entering the traffic pattern for a full-stop landing on runway 34. The pilot reported that, while on final approach, as the airplane passed over a tree line, it encountered a downdraft and descended below the normal glidepath. As he increased engine power to arrest the airplane's descent, the main landing gear struck a wire fence near the approach end of the runway. The airplane subsequently landed hard on its nose landing gear, which collapsed the nose gear, and skidded to a stop in a nose-down attitude on the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

A postaccident review of available meteorological data established that the surface wind was likely variable from the southwest to northwest at 5 to 8 knots. Although the variable wind condition had the potential to develop minor turbulence and an associated downdraft during the final approach, the pilot should have been able to anticipate and adequately handle the variable wind condition. It is likely that the pilot's delayed reaction to the variable wind condition resulted in an excessive descent rate and the airplane's subsequent collision with the wire fence short of the runway.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA252 for the full record.