NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA21LA266
Registry · N65317
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PILATUS B4-PC11
Year of manufacture
1976 · 45 years old at event
Engine
NONE NONE
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19760518
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A89A7A
Registrant of record
MAHONY JOHN
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s misjudged approach angle which resulted in impact with trees and terrain.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that once on final approach for the runway, he miscalculated his approach angle and found the glider low on altitude and airspeed. The glider then struck trees on the edge of the airport and impacted on the airport surface resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies 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).
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2021_ERA21LA266.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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