Event CEN25LA312

Factual narrative

The airplane departed from the backcountry airstrip, located in a national forest, with the intent of repositioning to another nearby backcountry airstrip by a river. Both privately-owned backcountry airstrips are located on the same property. While on the downwind leg, the pilot performed a turn to establish himself on the base leg. During the turn, the right wing impacted a standing dead tree with no leaves. The airplane came to rest on its right side in a forested area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented by operating at a higher altitude and paying more attention to the airplane’s proximity to the trees in the area. 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).

• — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Awareness of condition
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Effect on equipment
• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot