Christen EAGLE II N712RP

Summary

On 9 February 2008 at about 14:15 local time, a Christen EAGLE II registered N712RP was involved in an accident near Boone, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 February 2008 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Boone, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Boone Inc Airport (NC14)

Coordinates

36.2003, -81.6593

Aircraft

Christen EAGLE II

Registration

N712RP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boone → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC08CA097

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance/altitude while on the final leg of the traffic pattern. Contributing to the accident were the proximity of the trees to the threshold, and the lack of a displaced threshold.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the Christen Eagle II said he was "lined up well," for the runway but just prior to landing, the left wing struck trees, and the airplane impacted the ground near the runway threshold. The airplane came to rest inverted, and even though it was upside down, and the pilot had difficulty releasing the canopy, he was able to exit the airplane unassisted. Photographic evidence indicated that the trees were located approximately 80 feet prior to the threshold, with tops approximately 20 feet above the runway elevation. The runway threshold was not displaced, and the presence of the trees was not included in the commercially available obstacle notation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.