| Crash location | 35.877223°N, 86.377500°W |
| Nearest city | Murfreesboro, TN
35.845621°N, 86.390270°W 2.3 miles away |
| Tail number | N575MT |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 21 Oct 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Diamond Aircraft DA 20-C1 |
| Additional details: | None |
On October 21, 2003, at 2133 central daylight time, a Diamond Aircraft DA 20-C1, N575MT, registered to and operated by Middle Tennessee State University, veered off the runway during landing at Murfreesboro Municipal Airport, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with a visual flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot reported no injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Huntsville International Airport, Huntsville, Alabama, at 2000 October 21, 2003.
The pilot initially departed Murfreesboro Municipal Airport about 1920 and flew to Huntsville, where he stopped and planned his return flight. He departed Huntsville and performed straight-in touch-and-go landings in Fayetteville, Tennessee, and Shelbyville, Tennessee. The pilot then proceeded to Murfreesboro and set up for a straight-in approach to runway 36. The pilot stated the approach was normal, but during the landing, the airplane initially contacted the runway with its nose wheel, then bounced up and continued down the runway. The pilot used rudder control input to maintain centerline. He stated he realized he was running out of runway and intended to initiate a go-around, but the airplane settled back to the runway, the left main wheel touched down, and the airplane yawed and skidded left. The pilot's efforts to regain control of the airplane were unsuccessful, and it skidded left off the runway, struck the airport sign for taxiway A, and came to rest at the north end of runway 36.
Examination of the airplane revealed the right main landing gear was separated, and the propeller was damaged. Cracks were observed on the composite wing structure and on the composite fuselage near the gear attachment block. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. Examination of the runway revealed a gouge in the asphalt on the north end of runway 36, near the numbers for the approach end of runway 18.
The pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall mush and collision with a taxiway sign. A factor was the pilot's delay in aborting the landing.