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GAA15CA190

2015-07-18 · Greensboro, North Carolina, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport W88

Current FAA registration · N96ML

Make / Model
PIPER PA-32-300
Year of manufacture
1978 · 37 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-540 SER (300 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19781212
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AD5AEB

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's decision to continue the approach after realizing the intended parameters were not attainable, resulting in a runway over-shoot, a loss of control on the ground and the consequent collision with trees.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that after initiating a go-around on the previous approach, "I made a second attempt and was set up for the asphalt runway but was pushed off slightly so I adjusted for the grass strip." He stated that during the landing flare, the airplane "floated" and "by the time I touched I was going too slow to abort or do a missed approach", and the airplane ran off the end of the runway. The airplane impacted trees, and sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that after initiating a go-around on the previous approach, "I made a second attempt and was set up for the asphalt runway but was pushed off slightly so I adjusted for the grass strip." He stated that during the landing flare, the airplane "floated" and "by the time I touched I was going too slow to abort or do a missed approach", and the airplane ran off the end of the runway. The airplane impacted trees, and sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Landing distance-Capability exceeded - C
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA15CA190.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control, go-around). All research papers