| Crash location | 41.215833°N, 83.874445°W |
| Nearest city | Deshler, OH
41.207551°N, 83.899107°W 1.4 miles away |
| Tail number | N786HL |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 19 Oct 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Preiss Vans RV-9A |
| Additional details: | None |
On October 19, 2003, about 1045 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Vans RV-9A, N786HL, was substantially damaged while landing at Deshler Municipal Landing Strip, Deshler, Ohio. The certificated recreational pilot received serious injuries, and the passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated from Williams County Airport, Bryan, Ohio. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to a written statement taken by the Ohio State Police, the pilot reported:
"I was flying into Deshler airport when I realized I was landing on the wrong runway. The runway I was going to land on [runway 05] was too short. I checked my speed and realized I was going too fast. When I touched down onto the runway, I also realized that I forgot to lower the flaps. After I touched down the first time, I lowered my flaps. Then I lost control and bounced up and touched down 2 more times. The third time the plane touched down, the propeller...hit the ground and [the airplane nosed over]...."
In a telephone interview, the pilot reported that he checked the airport windsock to see what direction the winds were blowing. When asked about how much runway the airplane would need, the pilot added that the runway he landed on was long enough, if he had slowed the airplane down prior to touchdown.
According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there were two turf runways at Deshler. Runway 09/27 was 2,480 feet long, and 70 feet wide, while runway 05/23 was 1,725 feet long, and 60 feet wide.
The pilot's improper bounced landing recovery. Factor were the pilot's excessive airspeed at touchdown, and his improper use of the wing flaps, by lowering them at touchdown.