Event CEN18CA291

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that she made a wide turn from base leg to final approach because she did not know exactly where the runway was placed. She stated she banked the airplane to line up with the runway and was still in a bank when the airplane approached the runway threshold. She added power to keep from getting too low, but the airplane contacted the ground and spun around, coming to a stop up against a chain-link fence.The left wing, rudder, and elevator sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The experimental amateur built airplane was landing on ultralight runway 33 during Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture when the accident occurred. The EAA AirVenture Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) contained a diagram showing the approach route for airplanes landing on runway 33. The procedure is to follow the northbound road at the east end of Ripple Road then make an approximate 30° left turn near the runway threshold to align with the runway. The west side of the northbound road is bordered by trees. The accident airplane contacted the ground near the beginning of the displaced threshold for the runway. The accident was captured on a ground-based video which showed the airplane in a left descending turn as it approached the runway. The airplane continued in the left turn until the left wing contacted the ground. The left main gear and nose gear then contacted the ground followed shortly thereafter by the right main gear. The airplane then slid rearward and spun to the left coming to rest after the tail contacted the fence. The airplane came to rest on a heading of 45°. The airplane was landing on the ultralight field when the accident occurred. The pilot stated that she made a wide base to final turn because she was unsure about the placement of the runway. Although the pilot added power, the airplane entered a left descending turn until the left wing contacted the ground near the beginning of the runway's displaced threshold. The airplane then spun left and slid rearward on the ground until it contacted a chain-link fence. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's statement, along with a ground-based video of the accident, revealed that the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack during the base to final turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Fence/fence post-Contributed to outcome