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CEN11CA604

2011-08-28 · Plymouth, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 1D2

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to perform a go-around when the airplane was not in a position to make a safe landing and his excessive use of bank control during the landing attempt, which resulted in the wing striking the ground.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during his landing approach, about 15 feet above the ground, a gust of wind caused the airplane's nose to rise and turn to the left. He stated that he corrected and returned the airplane to a level attitude, but the it was then pointed about 20 degrees off of the runway heading. The pilot attempted to return to the runway heading, but the wingtip struck the ground. The airplane then entered a ditch adjacent to the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane. A weather report from a station located about 8 miles away from the accident airport recorded the wind speed as 6 knots. No wind gusts were recorded. Postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that, during his landing approach, while about 15 feet above the ground, a gust of wind caused the airplane's nose to rise and turn to the left. He stated that he corrected and returned the airplane to a level attitude, but it was then pointed about 20 degrees off of the runway heading. The pilot attempted to return to the runway heading, but the wingtip struck the ground. The airplane then entered a ditch adjacent to the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane. A weather report from a station located about 8 miles away from the accident airport recorded the wind speed as 6 knots; no wind gusts were recorded. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the left wing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Incorrect use/operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_CEN11CA604.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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