Event GAA15CA114

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while on short final to the unlit airstrip; during the flare, he lost sight of the runway and the airplane veered to the right, impacted a rice field, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and lift strut. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation The pilot stated that the accident may have been mitigated if he would have landed on a lit runway and conducted a wheel landing instead of a three point landing, which would have allowed him to maintain a visual of the runway until his main wheels where on the ground. The pilot reported that while on short final to the unlit airstrip; during the flare, he lost sight of the runway and the airplane veered to the right, impacted a rice field, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and lift strut. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation The pilot stated that the accident may have been mitigated if he would have landed on a lit runway and conducted a wheel landing instead of a three point landing, which would have allowed him to maintain a visual of the runway until his main wheels where on the ground. 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-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-(general)-Contributed to outcome
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Light condition-Dark-Contributed to outcome