March 15, 2012, Franklin, N.C., Cessna 501 Citation I/SP

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1350 Eastern time while landing. The private pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Two witnesses reported the airplane was high during its initial approach, performed a go-around, and made a left turn for another approach. During the second approach, the airplane was high again and the approach steepened, nose-down onto the runway.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An airplane was substantially damaged during landing in visual conditions, resulting in the fatalities of the private pilot and four passengers.
After an initial high approach led to a go-around, the second approach was also high, causing the airplane to descend steeply and touch down hard halfway down the runway.
The airplane bounced, banked right, and its right wing contacted the ground, leading it to flip over off the runway, followed by a post-crash fire.

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The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1350 Eastern time while landing. The private pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed.

Two witnesses reported the airplane was high during its initial approach, performed a go-around, and made a left turn for another approach. During the second approach, the airplane was high again and the approach steepened, nose-down onto the runway. The nosegear touched down approximately halfway down the runway, followed by main gear touchdown. The airplane then bounced and the witnesses heard the engine noise increase. It then banked right and the right wing contacted the ground. The airplane subsequently flipped over off the right side of the runway. A post-crash fire ensued.