NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA12CA053
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot did not maintain a proper approach path, which resulted in a collision with a tree.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that, while on final approach for landing, he descended the airplane too low and the airplane's left wing contacted a tree. The airplane veered left and continued to descend before impacting the ground, resulting in substantial damage to both left and right wings and the engine firewall. The inspector's postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies. The pilot reported that, while on final approach for landing, he descended the airplane too low and that the airplane's left wing contacted a tree. The airplane veered left and continued to descend before impacting the ground, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the engine firewall. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies. 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-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2011_ERA12CA053.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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