NTSB Factual Report

On September 5, 2015, about 1015 central daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Venus CP328 Super Emeraude airplane, N328TV, impacted a hay bale and nosed over during landing on a private airstrip near Port Wing, Wisconsin. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. The fuselage was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site about the time of the accident, and the flight was not operating on a flight plan. The local flight originated from the airstrip about 1010.

According to the pilot's accident report, the overall plan was to fly Young Eagles from a hay field at the annual Port Wing Fall Festival. The field was approximately 2,500 feet long with slightly rolling terrain. The runway's grass was long and wet from rain the night before. The pilot felt that the grass reduced airplane performance and had a 40-foot wide strip mowed on the smooth part of field. The pilot made another takeoff and landing on the recently mowed strip and felt that it took longer to attain flying speed; however, it did not seem unreasonable at the time. There were a few hay bales at the north end of the strip but the pilot felt that they would not be in the way.

The pilot started a subsequent takeoff with a passenger on board and aborted the takeoff due to the way the airplane was accelerating.

After the aborted takeoff, the pilot elected to fly the airplane solo to reduce some fuel weight. During this accident flight, the pilot turned carburetor (carb) heat and the fuel boost pump on. The pilot's report, in part, stated:

Turned to final and felt I was a little low and applied power. Throttle went in,

engine continued to run, no roughness or dead cylinder, but there was a

definite lack of power. Pulled back slightly to avoid hay bale [at] the end of field

and the tail stuck the bale. The plane flipped over and came to rest inverted.

At 1053, the recorded weather at the John F Kennedy Memorial Airport (ASX), near Ashland, Wisconsin, about 124 degrees and 23 miles from the accident site, was: Wind 200 degrees at 4 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 27 degrees C; dew point 22 degrees C; altimeter 29.99 inches of mercury.

The temperature and dew point at ASX was plotted on an icing chart. Their intersection was in the serious icing range at glide power.

The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions and was "convinced" that carb icing occurred due to "a rather short approach plus the weather that the carb heat did not have time to take care of any residual ice."

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot’s undershooting the landing area and the subsequent impact with a hay bale. Also causal to the accident was the operation of the airplane in conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which reduced the engine power during the landing.