NTSB Factual Report

On June 24, 2001, at 1258 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, N8210Z, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when the pilot landed long and the airplane overran the end of runway 01 (2,822 feet by 100 feet, dry/turf) at the Shamrock Field Airport, Brooklyn, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The pilot and his single passenger were not injured. The flight departed the MBS International Airport, Saginaw, Michigan at 1145.

According to the pilot's written statement, he had initially mistaken the taxiway, located to the left side of the runway, for runway 01 and had identified the correct runway while on final approach. The pilot reported that once he had identified runway 01 he executed a steep approach to the runway, touching down with approximately one half of the useable runway remaining. The pilot stated that, "Approached too high[,] I believe this was where I screwed up big time!" The pilot reported that he was unable to stop the airplane prior to the end of the runway, and the airplane impacted a ditch off to the right side of the end of the runway.

The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented by, "...Stabilized [approach], low speed to soft field to the threshold rather than further infield...Vigilance for threshold confusion in turf fields...Prefer paved fields if never landed on grass before."

NTSB Probable Cause

The proper touchdown point exceeded, all of the available runway not used, and aircraft control not being maintained by the pilot during the landing. Factors to the accident were the pilot mistaking the taxiway for the runway, the pilot not performing a go-around after identifying the runway on final approach, and the ditch.