Beech A23-24 accident near Clintonville, Wisconsin, May 30, 2016

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot was completing a cross-country flight from Florida to Wisconsin. He stated that he got a full night's sleep prior to departing on the flight around 1100. About 0330, he was approaching the airport for the third and final fuel stop of the trip. Although the surface observation at the airport indicated that night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, the pilot noticed that, as he approached the airport, the runway and precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights were partially obscured by ground fog. About 250 ft above ground level on final approach, the PAPI lights indicated that the airplane was below the approach path, and the pilot attempted to correct by applying engine power. He reported that the landing felt normal, then the nose landing gear "gave out," and the airplane skidded about 300 ft down the runway before coming to rest. Examination of the runway surface revealed tire skid marks consistent with the airplane touching down about 40 ft right of the runway centerline at the beginning of the paved surface. The airplane's left horizontal stabilizer displayed an indentation and paint transfer consistent with impact with a runway threshold light. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is possible that the pilot may have lost visual contact with the airport environment due to ground fog as the airplane neared the runway, which resulted in the short and right-of-centerline landing. Although the pilot stated that he did not feel tired during the accident flight, it is likely that he was experiencing symptoms of fatigue as a result of his extended time awake prior to the accident.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.