Event ERA17LA229

Factual narrative

On July 4, 2017, at 1130 eastern daylight time, an Aviat Aircraft Inc. A-1C-180, N272WY, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Dillwyn, Virginia. The private pilot was seriously injured, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a local, personal flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed.The pilot reported that he filled the airplane with fuel and departed his home airport for a private, paved airstrip about 12 miles to the northwest. He was encouraged to visit a neighbor who owned a grass airstrip located between the departure and destination airports, so he attempted to find the airstrip. He "falsely identified" the grass airstrip and attempted to land. He attempted two low approaches, the first with no flaps and the second with full flaps. On the third pass, he attempted to land the airplane with full flaps. After touching down, he realized that he did not have sufficient runway remaining to stop, and aborted the landing. Shortly after takeoff and after clearing the trees, the airplane "entered an abrupt stall" and impacted the ground. The pilot believed that he was at full power when airplane control was lost. He also stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration reported that the airplane came to rest in a steep, nose-low position in a cornfield. There was no fire. Structural damage to both wings and the fuselage was confirmed. The inspector reported that the field where the pilot was attempting to land was a grass strip designed for radio-controlled model aircraft. The strip was oriented to the northeast/southwest, was about 650 ft in length, and was not intended for general aviation aircraft. A large stand of trees formed the boundary of the northeast end of the runway. The private pilot was attempting to land at an unfamiliar grass airstrip. He made two low approaches, and on the third attempt, he elected to land the airplane with full flaps. After touchdown, he realized that he had insufficient runway remaining on which to stop, so he aborted the landing. Shortly after takeoff and after clearing the trees, the airplane abruptly stalled and impacted the ground. The grass airstrip was designed for radio-controlled model airplanes and was only 650 ft long. A large stand of trees formed the boundary of the northeast end of the runway. The pilot reported that he misidentified the grass airstrip and that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. 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-Info processing/decision-Understanding/comprehension-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained - C