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.
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