NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA12CA414
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's improper full flap retraction while performing a go-around maneuver, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, the airplane bounced during the landing. He added power in an attempt to recover, but then decided to perform a go-around maneuver. He performed the go-around checklist; however, he inadvertently retracted the flaps to the zero degree, or "UP" position, instead of the required 20 degree flap position. The airplane settled onto the grass to the left of the runway and struck bushes and cement blocks located about 150 feet off the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot, the airplane bounced during the landing. He added power in an attempt to recover, but then decided to perform a go-around maneuver. He performed the go-around checklist; however, he inadvertently retracted the flaps to the zero degree, or "UP" position, instead of the required 20 degree flap position. The airplane settled onto the grass to the left of the runway and struck bushes and cement blocks located about 150 feet off the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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 structures-Wing structure-Trailing edge flaps-Incorrect use/operation - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2012_ERA12CA414.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2025 · Conference Paper
A Training Study to Improve Monitoring During A Go-Around
As part of an FAA program to improve go-around (GA) safety, we were asked to determine if we could improve the performance of the Pilot Monitoring (PM) during a GA maneuver.
- Flight Safety Foundation 2024 · FSF / AeroSafety World
Go-Around Safety Forum Findings
Foundation Go-Around Safety Forum technical findings — examines why pilots fail to execute go-arounds when criteria are met (stabilized approach gate not met, energy state out of envelope, traffic con…
- Semantic Scholar 2022 · Article (Journal of Safety Research)
Go-around accidents and general aviation safety.
INTRODUCTION Changes in General Aviation (GA) accident rates, specifically in the go-around phase, are examined by comparing the number of accidents, the proportion of fatal accidents, and the proport…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Aerospace)
Classification and Analysis of Go-Arounds in Commercial Aviation Using ADS-B Data
Go-arounds are a necessary aspect of commercial aviation and are conducted after a landing attempt has been aborted. It is necessary to conduct go-arounds in the safest possible manner, as go-arounds …
- NASA NTRS 2021 · Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Go-Around Criteria Refinement for Transport Category Aircraft
Presently, airline pilots are trained to go around if, when lower than 500 ft above the ground, they are outside of a handful of parameters such as airspeed, position, and rate of descent.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Validation of Proposed Go-Around Criteria Under Various Environmental Conditions
This paper evaluates the effects of environmental conditions on touchdown performance under varying approach states and validates proposed go-around criteria developed using data from a previously con…
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