Landing / Ground Loss of Control · NTSB WPR17FA077
CHALLENGER II — Oakdale, CA
| Date | March 11, 2017 |
| Location | Oakdale, CA |
| Aircraft | CHALLENGER II |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Landing-flare/touchdown Abnormal runway contact |
| Pilot age | 78 |
| Pilot total time | 1,977 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 6 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
What happened
The commercial pilot landed the airplane left of the approach end of the runway on the runway safety area (RSA). Examination of tire tacks indicated that the airplane then veered left, travelled about 70 ft, and subsequently impacted the pilot's truck, which was in front of his hangar. A postimpact fire ensued.
Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Although one of the witnesses stated that the engine did not sound normal, given that the other witness stated that the engine sounded normal during the flight and no anomalies were found with the engine, it was likely producing power during the accident sequence.
Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the pilot failed to attain a proper touchdown point, which resulted in the airplane landing on the RSA. The pilot then failed to maintain directional control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.