West Liberty, KY, USA
N5080M
TAYLORCRAFT BC12-D
The pilot stated that he was using a global positioning system receiver to navigate a cross-country flight. The pilot's intended destination was an airport with a single 5,751-foot-long runway; however, he erroneously flew to a different airport with a single 2,400-foot-long runway with trees at both ends of the runway. In an attempt to clear trees near the runway threshold, the pilot touched down too close to the departure end of the runway. He did not want to attempt a go-around due to the trees at the end of the runway; thus he attempted to stop the airplane, but it traveled off the end of the runway and into a ditch. During the impact, the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing separated. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
The pilot stated that he was using a global positioning system receiver to navigate a cross-country flight. The pilot's intended destination was an airport with a single 5,751-foot-long runway; however, he erroneously flew to an airport with a single 2,400-foot-long runway. Additionally, trees were located on both ends of the shorter runway. The pilot further stated that in an attempt to clear trees near the runway threshold, he touched down too close to the departure end of the runway. The pilot did not want to attempt a go-around due to the trees at the end of the runway. The pilot attempted to stop the airplane, but it traveled off the end of the runway and into a ditch. During the impact, the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing separated. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The wind was reported as calm at an airport located approximately 20 miles south of the accident site, about the time of the accident.
The pilot's failure to obtain the proper touchdown point during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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