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Atlas / NTSB / ERA22LA433

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ERA22LA433

2022-07-16 Okeechobee, Florida, United States Airport · OBE None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N150MM

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

EASTER WILLIAM C M-1

Year of manufacture

1984 · 38 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

1 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19840611

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A0CB4E

Registrant of record

FISHER THOMAS A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The premature placement of an airport runway closure marker short of the runway, which resulted in the airplane’s collision with the marker during the landing approach. Contributing was the pilot’s inability to see the marker due the nose-high attitude of the airplane during the approach.

Factual narrative

The pilot landed on a runway that was scheduled to be closed about 9 minutes after he arrived. A NOTAM had been issued about the closure. The pilot was aware of the NOTAM and confirmed the runway was still open by communicating over the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency before he landed. The pilot said that when he was on short final approach to the runway, the airplane struck the top cross-arms of an unlit airport runway closure marker. The pilot was subsequently able to land safely. The pilot said he was unable to see the marker as he approached the runway due to the nose-high flight attitude of his airplane on approach. The impact with the marker resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s wing spar. A representative of the engineering company contracted by the airport acknowledged to the Federal Aviation Administration that their employees had moved the marker in front of the runway’s threshold prior to it being closed because they thought they had permission to do so by the airport; however, the person or entity who had granted that permission was never determined. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Other
  • Environmental issues-Operating environment-Airport facilities/design-Runway markings/signage-Decision related to condition
  • Environmental issues-Operating environment-Airport facilities/design-Runway markings/signage-Ability to respond/compensate
  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Perception/orientation/illusion-Perception-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA22LA433.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.