NYC01LA111

Factual narrative

On April 28, 2001, about 1605 Eastern Daylight Time, a homebuilt Jurca MJ5 Sirocco, N44DK, was substantially damaged while landing at the Great Barrington Airport (GBR), Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Decks Airport, Myerstown, Pennsylvania, about 1405. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane was landing on Runway 29, a 2,579 foot-long, 50 foot-wide, asphalt runway. In a written statement, the pilot said he attempted two previous landings to the runway which resulted in go-arounds. On the third attempt, he experienced gusty, variable winds. The airplane touched down on the runway; however, "the airplane did not decelerate as expected." The airplane departed the end of the runway, struck a tree and then descended down a 30-foot embankment. A pilot who witnessed the accident stated that the airplane touched down "long" and appeared "too fast" to stop on the remaining runway. The accident pilot reported over 5,500 hours of total flight experience, with approximately 26 hours in the accident airplane. The winds reported at an airport located about 17 miles north-northeast of GBR, at 1554, were from 360 degrees at 9 knots, with 20 knot gusts. While landing on Runway 29, a 2,579 foot-long, 50 foot-wide, asphalt runway, the airplane touched down "long" and departed the end of the runway. The airplane then struck a tree and then descended down a 30 foot embankment. The winds reported at an airport located about 17 miles north-northeast of the accident site, were from 360 degrees at 9 knots, with 20 knot gusts. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12