Ankeny, IA, USA
N897GA
AMERICAN GENERAL ACFT CORP AG5B
The pilot stated that before arriving at his destination airport in night visual meteorological conditions, he listened to the automated weather observing system, which indicated wind from 220 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 26 knots. The pilot aborted his first attempt to land after a bounced landing. During the second approach to land, the pilot observed the visual approach slope indicator rapidly transition from both white (indicating high on the glideslope) to both red (indicating low on the glideslope) and decided to perform a go-around. During the attempted go-around, the airplane’s left wing struck a tree, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot then landed the airplane without further incident on his third landing attempt. The pilot stated that the airplane’s interior lighting was too bright for the night conditions and that the bright runway lights in the dark rural setting gave him a “false sense of night vision.”
The pilot stated that before arriving at his destination airport in night visual meteorological conditions, he listened to the automated weather observing system, which broadcast wind from 220 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 26 knots. The pilot executed a go-around on his first attempt due to a bounced landing on runway 22. During the second attempt, on the base to final turn, the pilot observed the visual approach slope indicator rapidly transition from both white to both red. The pilot advanced the throttle to execute another go-around when the left wing struck a tree. He landed the airplane without further incident on the third attempt. During the impact with the tree the left wing and horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage. The pilot stated that the interior airplane lighting was too bright for the night conditions and the bright runway lights gave him a false sense of night vision.
The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper glide path to the runway in gusty wind conditions and his failure to maintain clearance from obstructions during the subsequent go-around. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper interior lighting configuration.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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