The pilot was flying to a small, private airpark near Port St. Lucie, Florida, to pick up a colleague. As he approached the airport, he circled and descended from 2,000 feet to the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern.
While on the downwind leg, he spotted what he thought was the 4,061-foot-long by 48-foot-wide runway, adding that he was flying into the glare of the rising sun and morning haze.
When the Cirrus SR-20 touched down, he immediately realized that he would not have enough distance to stop and elected to abort the landing. He applied power and began to climb. However, after becoming airborne, he heard a “brushing” sound that he believed was foliage at the end of the pavement.
He then diverted to a nearby airport and made an uneventful landing.
He was later informed by the owner of the airplane that he had likely landed on a paved road parallel to the runway. Later, the pilot learned that he had struck a powerline that spanned across the road.
A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing main spar had been substantially damaged during the accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to correctly identify the airport runway, which resulted in a landing on a road and contact with a power line. Contributing to the outcome was the sun glare.
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This July 2024 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Too much plane, too little pilot; only a Bonanza pilot (doctor) could parallel.
Damn Cirrus pilots!😃
Wrong surface departures and landings are a great concern and happen at all levels. The one that keeps coming to mind for me was the departure of a regional jet from the wrong runway at Lexington, KY. One thing should be a safeguard to avoid these errors – departing or arriving, verify the runway number before using that surface. In some conditions (night/glare), that may require verification closer to the runway. Google Maps shows normal markings on that runway, and X’s on Navion Dr where he touched down.
Who else is amazed that this error even happened?
Get a Cheyenne sectional chart. Look at the relative proximity of Rapid City Regional Airport (KRAP) and Ellsworth Air Force Base (KRCA).
Now imagine two crews from two major airlines accidentally landing at Ellsworth…
Or MacDill AFB and Peter O’Knight general aviation airport in Tampa. C-17 mistake!
I once knew of a seaplane pilot who was very critical online of pilots landing gear down on water in amphibious aircraft. He could not understand how anyone could leave the gear down while landing on water.
Until he did it.
Funny, we never heard from him again after that.