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CEN14CA186

2014-03-21 · Marine City, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 76G

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during a full-stop crosswind landing he flared too high and the airplane bounced during touchdown. After the second bounce the pilot added power for a go-around maneuver as the airplane's left main gear struck the snow bank on the edge of the runway. The airplane immediately pitched nose down, exited the left side of the runway, and impacted terrain, coming to rest inverted. The impact resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the left strut, and the vertical fin and rudder. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He also reported that the accident would not have happened if he had used the proper crosswind correction, had used the proper flare and landing technique, or if he had earlier decided to go-around. The pilot reported that during a full-stop crosswind landing he flared too high and the airplane bounced during touchdown. After the second bounce the pilot added power for a go-around maneuver as the airplane's left main gear struck the snow bank on the edge of the runway. The airplane immediately pitched nose down, exited the left side of the runway, and impacted terrain, coming to rest inverted. The impact resulted in substantial damage to both wings, the left strut, and the vertical fin and rudder. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He also reported that the accident would not have happened if he had used the proper crosswind correction, had used the proper flare and landing technique, or if he had earlier decided to go-around. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Snow/ice-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_CEN14CA186.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). All research papers