ERA12CA110

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, the intention of the flight was to become night current. He was on the global positioning system approach, and was lined up on the runway centerline, with the approach lights in sight. At 500 feet above ground level, the pilot extended the wing flaps to the full down position. When the airplane was closer to the ground, the airspeed suddenly decreased and the rate of descent increased, thus the pilot added full power in order to arrest the descent. The airplane, however, impacted trees and the ground approximately 2,000 feet prior to the runway. The airplane bounced twice, and then proceeded to land on the runway. During the landing roll out, the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and came to rest in a grassy area. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane. According to the pilot, the intention of the flight was to become night current. He was on the global positioning system approach and was lined up on the runway centerline with the approach lights in sight. At 500 feet above ground level, the pilot extended the wing flaps to the full down position. When the airplane was closer to the ground, the airspeed suddenly decreased and the rate of descent increased, and the pilot added full power in order to arrest the descent. The airplane, however, impacted trees and the ground about 2,000 feet prior to the runway. The airplane bounced twice and then landed on the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and came to rest in a grassy area. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C