Event CEN12CA658

Factual narrative

While attempting to land at a private airstrip, the pilot felt the airplane was too fast and too high on the first approach and he elected to perform a go-around. During the second approach, the airplane encountered a crosswind and the pilot aborted the landing. He applied takeoff power, lowered the flaps, pitched for a climb, and gained altitude. While maneuvering, the airplane encountered a downdraft. The airplane did not appear to be outclimbing the rising terrain, so the pilot decided to attempt a precautionary landing. During the landing, the airplane struck a roadway berm which separated the landing gear. The airplane came to rest upright. The pilot and passenger exited the airplane and noticed a small fire. The pilot attempted to extinguish the fire, but was unsuccessful, and the airplane was consumed. The pilot reported that the airplane did not experience any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. While attempting to land at a private airstrip, the pilot thought the airplane was too fast and too high on the first approach, and he elected to perform a go-around. During the second approach, the airplane encountered a crosswind, and the pilot aborted the landing. He applied takeoff power, lowered the flaps, pitched for a climb, and gained altitude. While maneuvering, the airplane encountered a downdraft and rising terrain. The airplane did not appear to be outclimbing the rising terrain, so the pilot decided to attempt a landing on the terrain. During the landing, the airplane struck a roadway berm, which separated the landing gear. The airplane came to rest upright; the pilot and passenger exited the airplane and noticed a small fire. The pilot attempted to extinguish the fire, but was unsuccessful, and the airplane was consumed by fire. The pilot reported that the airplane did not experience any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. 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).

• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Mountainous/hilly terrain-Ability to respond/compensate