NTSB Factual Report

The airline transport pilot reported the Hanson Bucker 131E amateur-built airplane performed "beautifully" during the local pleasure flight and as he maneuvered the airplane to land in the grass parallel to runway 35, a paved runway. At touchdown, the airplane struck the upwind set of visual approach slope indicator (VASI) lights, and nosed over. According to the airport manager, the airplane landed on the runway safety area, not a turf runway, and the VASI lights had been installed "for years."

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's inadequate visual lookout that resulted in a collision with a lighting structure in the grass while landing. A factor in the accident was the pilot's intentional landing in the runway safety area.