Event ERA20CA155

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he had an uneventful flight to a nearby airport, and then departed to return to his home airport. The accident occurred during the subsequent landing attempt; however, the pilot did not recall the approach or accident sequence due to his injuries. According to a witness that lived near the airport, he heard the airplane and saw it fly over midfield before it entered the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 13. He noted that the engine power was "pulled back." A few minutes later, the witness heard an impact and rushed to the accident site. The airplane impacted trees and terrain on the left side of runway and came to rest about 1,000 ft from the approach end of the runway. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that there were no anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation prior to the accident. The wind reported at an airport 10 miles to the southeast of the accident location was from 290° at 11 knots, gusting to 18 knots. According to the pilot, he was returning to his home airport. The accident occurred during the landing attempt; the pilot could not recall the approach or accident sequence due to his injuries. According to a witness who lived near the airport, he heard the airplane and saw it fly over the midfield before it entered the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 13. He noted that the engine power was "pulled back." A few minutes later, the witness heard an impact. The airplane impacted trees and terrain on the left side of the runway and came to rest about 1,000 ft past the runway's approach end. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the wreckage stated that he found no preaccident anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to a report from an airport 10 miles southeast of the accident site, the wind was gusting to 18 knots. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation - C